Eternal Spring
by Chan Yoruyamatiha
Summary: COMPLETED A RyuxSakura romance! The growing affection between Ryu and Sakura blossoms into a beautiful love, but can it endure through the obstacles to come, especially with Bison? R
1. Default Chapter

Hey readers! I'll keep this brief, please bear with me. I'm a HUGE SakuraXRyu fan, sooooo here's a fic of my own on it! Please be kind and don't flame me! Anyways, please REVIEW and enjoy!  
  
Thanks for inspiring me, Trutenor! You're the best!  
  
Eternal Spring  
  
The gentle winds of spring gusted around Tokyo on a bright, cheerful morning. Children were out and about with friends and parents, enjoying everyone's company. Spring break was a wonderful time for celebration for the Japanese citizens because it meant time to stay with friends and family.  
  
While everyone was bustling with joy and happiness, a lone figure sat on a bench in the park, watching the smaller children play on the playground equipment. She had silent reflections of her childhood as the sheet of paper she was reading slipped out of her hands and blew away in the breeze. The young woman didn't even notice it missing as her dark eyes were filled with memories.  
  
The young woman was Sakura Kasugano, an 18-year old girl who was just about to graduate high school. She was strikingly beautiful to some men, but was not interested in any of the ones who asked her out on dates or to other places. Her brown hair was cut short with long bangs that hung over her dark eyes. Sakura had a fair complexion that made her stand out from the other girls her age.  
  
Despite her appearance, she was no gentle flower. She was actually a student of the ancient art of Shotokan. Almost everywhere she went, she wore a long, flowing white headband that reminded her of the man that she desired to be with most. Ryu.  
  
Slowly, hot tears began to prick her eyes as she thought about the last time she saw him. She remembered that she was about to board a loaded bus, and one of the attendants, whose job it was to cram and push people into each cart, pushed her a little too hard, causing her to trip and fall onto a person. With her face burning in embarrassment, she began to apologize to the man only to find herself staring into the familiar face of Ryu Hoshi.  
  
Sakura remembered stammering a greeting to him as she slowly removed herself from him and helped him to his feet. With only a brief "Hey", he pushed his way out of the cart to yell at the attendant who had pushed Sakura a little too roughly. That was the last time Sakura had seen him. It was only months ago, but it seemed like decades.  
  
("Sakura. you shouldn't cry in public.") She told herself. ("Don't be stupid, now.")  
  
It was too late. There was nothing that she could do to stop the tears from coming down her beautiful face. She couldn't help the fact that she was in love with him. Her friends called it a simple teenage crush, but Sakura felt that it was more than that. Much, much more. She had frequent daydreams about what life would be like with him, what his dojo looked like, and etcetera.  
  
Reaching into her purse, she pulled out a tissue and dried her eyes, being careful not to smudge her carefully-applied eyeliner. Sakura sniffled and cursed herself for being so emotional. It wasn't like he died or anything, so why was she crying? The answers to those kinds of questions are so hard to find, although they are so simple.  
  
The cherry blossom trees on either side of the bench swayed gently in the breeze, blowing loose pink petals onto Sakura's lap as she stared up at the sky. Just thinking about this made her depressed. The end of her skirt flared up against her thigh as she stood up, picking up her bag. It was about time she went home, and she was anxious to get away from this place. As the clouds moved slowly across the sky, Sakura began walking home slowly, ignoring the thoughts of Ryu that kept appearing in her mind. There was so much to love about him; he was so handsome, his eyes were dark, solemn and caring, and his voice was so soft and smooth.  
  
("I've got to think about something else.") She thought as she felt the secret pain she felt inside began to make her stomach feel like a bottomless pit.  
  
Sakura walked slowly along the crowded sidewalk, glancing in the windows of different shops. Window shopping was a little hobby that Sakura had picked up when Kei and she used to glance in department store windows on the way to and from school. Several people in a hurry brushed past her rudely, some even pushing her aside slightly to squeeze through the crowd.  
  
As she stared in a window at a pair of black Converse sneakers, she felt a hand suddenly grab her arm and yank her aside.  
  
"What the-!"  
  
For the first time, she was able steal a look at the person who had grabbed her. It was a man, who appeared to be around 20 or so, a few years older than Sakura.  
  
"Hey! Let go of me!!"  
  
The man grabbed and pinned her against his torso by her neck with his forearm, and burst into the store she had been looking into. Everyone in the store turned to stare and scream at the man as he whipped a knife out of his pocket and held it to Sakura's torso.  
  
"Money," He said to the nearest cashier, who was in the process of scanning a black jacket. The cashier scanned the jacket about five times in a row before eventually fainting. Sakura's attacker let out a low growl of frustration as he pressed the knife against Sakura's shirt. He turned to the next cashier, an elderly woman who was already loading money into a shopping bag.  
  
"Please don't hurt that little girl!" She cried as she sobbed hysterically.  
  
"If I don't get that bag in ten seconds I will!" growled the man as he snatched the bag from the old lady.  
  
He glanced in the bag to get a quick count of his money and smiled evilly.  
  
"How generous. I'll be leaving now."  
  
The burglar glanced at the money, and then at Sakura.  
  
"I don't know what looks better, you or the money." he whispered into Sakura's ear, a sadistic tone in his voice as he smirked in amusement.  
  
"N-n-no!"  
  
Sakura struggled under his grip, but remained still as he leisurely flipped his knife between his fingers.  
  
"Time to go. party."  
  
Without paying notice to the old lady's pleading, he bolted out the door with Sakura still in his grip, and tore through the crowd with ease. That is, until Sakura kicked him where it hurts. "OH SHIT!"  
  
He stopped running as his knees buckled in pain and he fell to the ground. His hands released Sakura, who stumbled forward and grabbed onto the person in front of her for support.  
  
The thief lay on the ground, writhing in pain as Sakura regained her balance.  
  
"Sumi masen!" Sakura looked at the person she had run into and her mouth fell open. Those kind, caring brown eyes. That handsome face. This was.  
  
"Hello, Sakura."  
  
"Ryu!!"  
  
"I see you have a friend here. I'll take care of him for you."  
  
Ryu walked past Sakura as her heart fluttered in excitement. It was Ryu, and he had turned up at the right time.  
  
Sakura watched as Ryu grabbed the guy who had attacked her by the collar and noticed the approaching police.  
  
"Here's your boy," Said Ryu mildly as he handed the burglar over to the cops, who took him without a thank you or anything.  
  
After the burglar was taken care of, Ryu and Sakura stepped out of the crowd and began walking their own path. A pleasant conversation formed between the two as they walked forward through the once more peaceful atmosphere. Sakura then realized that more than her flushed face was warm. She felt her hand warm and interlocked with Ryu's.  
  
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AN: I hope everyone liked this! :D Please review and don't flame me and I'll love you forever! (lol) 


	2. Chapter 2

AN- Yay! Here's chapter 2... please don't flame me... x.x  
  
Tornado: Thanks for your advice and comments. (You seem to have more ideas than I do, lol!) Anyway, I've got a mouthful for you on this! ^_^ About the holding hands part, I've got a plan for that. Sakura thinks it's because he likes her the same way, but it's not. He's trying to make her feel more secure, if you think about it. If you put yourself in Sakura's shoes, she's probably feeling pretty terrified after hearing what that guy was intending to do... x.x Ryu's a smart man and he can infer that she was probably afraid, so he wanted to make her feel safer by holding her hand and leading her away from that place...Did that make sense? You'll see all this tie into the plot of later chapters. Thanks for the suggestion, though. I see where you were heading with it. And one more thing. did I just lose you on this? ^-^'  
  
DeNice: You reviewed. Yay! Don't forget about The Reconciliation, though. *Chan begins pulling out her hair* This is lots of pressure on my stupid mind, but I can handle this. I'm still co-authoring with you on NA3 and NC1, but I might be writing the chapters. If I see you posting any even chapters I've never read before, I'm coming to get you. ^.^ Enjoy!  
  
Trutenor: OMG you actually liked this!? Wow! How flattering! ^-^ I hope that it'll get better towards the end. I'm trying not to rush it. I hope this chapter is just as good as the first; I'm trying to keep it slow paced. ,  
  
Snipe: Wow, phenomenal!? That's a really strong adjective to describe my fic with! ^_^ Thanks! I really appreciate that review; that was so sweet! I'm so glad that you like this fic. On with chapter two!  
  
Kikoken: Thanks for reading this!! ^.^ I'm glad that a hardcore RCL fan like you would read this... What can I say? I'm stunned!  
  
DJ Rodriguez: ^.^ Thanks for your comments. I'm really glad that you like this fic!! I'm taking my time on it and putting all of my creativity in it. So, on with Chapter two!!  
  
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Eternal Spring  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Sakura found her hand being loosely grasped by Ryu's as he pulled her along through the crowd gently. He kept his eye on her, making sure that she was keeping up with him just in case that burglar got away from the cops. When he felt as though they were a safe distance away from the crime scene, Ryu found them at the entrance of a small cafe that was rarely visited and on the . This would be a perfect place to have a conversation with Sakura.  
  
"Sakura, do you want to have a quick lunch here?"  
  
"Oh... sure!"  
  
The two walked into the small dinner and sat down at a table, facing each other as a small waiter hurried over to them.  
  
"What can I get you two to drink?" he asked in a squeaky voice.  
  
Ryu smiled. "Water. . . and you?" he added, nodding at Sakura.  
  
"Uh... oh! Water..." Stammered Sakura as she blushed into the menu she was pretending to be reading. Her dark eyes scanned over the sukiyaki order that included a cup of hot ocha with it as she felt Ryu's eyes on her.  
  
"Anou. . . What are you getting?"  
  
"I don't know. The inarizushi sounds appealing to me."  
  
"I think I want sukiyaki... it's 730¥ though. . . I'll find something cheaper-"  
  
Ryu cut her off and smiled at her.  
  
"Don't worry about the price, just get what you want."  
  
"Oh. . . okay. . ."  
  
The small waiter hurried over and took their orders, and rushed off into the kitchen to help prepare them. Ryu read a sign on the wall advertising tickets for a Chinese play that was to take place on Takahashi Street. Sakura took this as a chance to stare at him without him noticing.  
  
His hair had grown out slightly, and his bangs were hanging over his eyes slightly like a canopy. Ryu's skin had also become a little more tan; probably from all those hours of outdoor training that he enjoyed.  
  
Sakura noticed that he was wearing different clothes now, obviously this outfit was one that Ken had bought him. Ryu was wearing a red shirt with some American writing on it; he was also wearing a faded pair of Levis jeans and a pair of sneakers, similar to the ones Sakura was wearing but larger and in a different color.  
  
After soaking in all of these details, Sakura seized the opportunity to make conversation with Ryu while she could smell their lunch sizzling in the kitchen.  
  
"So Ryu... how have the past five months been for you?"  
  
Surprised that she had asked that question, Ryu raised his eyebrows.  
  
"Oh, nothing much happened. They were alright, though; I went to see Ken for a month. . ."  
  
Sakura giggled. "I can tell," She said, eyeing his shirt that said American Eagle in small print near the collar.  
  
Ryu smiled good-naturedly. "Yeah, this is Ken's doing."  
  
Blushing, Sakura raised her eyes from the table to the waiter, who had just arrived with their plates.  
  
"Please enjoy your meals!" He squeaked and handed Ryu the bill, that read 1,564¥.  
  
Without even blinking an eye, Ryu set the bill aside and picked up his hashi and began to pick up his food.  
  
Sakura did the same, glancing around the room as she ate. It was full of bright, Oriental designs such as the wallpaper with dragons, the paper lamps with various kanji on them, and the paintings on the walls. The one handing over her table was one by Sterling Everett, an American painter. It showed the simply beauty of a nature scene, and was very attractive.  
  
Over at the corner of the room, about six feet from Sakura's table, was a small indoor pond that contained several koi. As Ryu and Sakura ate, they watched the orange and white koi swim around in the water gracefully.  
  
"They're really beautiful, aren't they?" Asked Ryu, noticing that Sakura was staring at the same thing.  
  
"Yes, they are..."  
  
"Sakura. . . would you like to come see my dojo? Gouken really like koi. . . There's a pond beside the dojo. . ."  
  
In response to his question, Sakura blushed and nodded her head fervently.  
  
"I'd love to come to your dojo!"  
  
Ryu smiled once more and finished up the remaining fried tofu on his plate before taking the bill over to the register to pay for their food.  
  
Sakura also finished up her plate and crouched by the koi pond, gazing at the fish. A remarkable golden-colored one swam up to the surface of the water and stared back at Sakura, before going to the bottom of the pond.  
  
"He's a gorgeous one, isn't he?"  
  
A voice came from behind Sakura as she whirled around and saw the clerk kneeling down, looking into the pond as well.  
  
"He's Kin... purebred koi. Got him at a show for cheap; the owner was giving up all his fish. I think this one was about 100,000¥. . ."  
  
Sakura widened her eyes. (AN- 100,000¥ = 1,000 U.S. dollars.) "Wow. . . that's a lot!"  
  
Her thoughts were interrupted by a gentle tap on her shoulder. It was Ryu.  
  
"Sakura, are you ready to go?"  
  
"Aa, hai!"  
  
With a final farewell to the clerk, Sakura and Ryu left the cafe and began to head towards Ryu's dojo together.  
  
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AN- Mwahahaha who know's what they'll find there! *Evil smile* REVIEW AND DON'T BE HARSH!!!! PLEEEEEEEEEASE!!!! 


	3. Chapter 3

AN- Yay. Chapter 3 is here FINALLY. Read and Review!! ^_^  
  
Michael: Hehe, you have a twisted mind. (Or is it me? I think it's me.) ^,^' Mwah what you said on the phone was really.. different and I will use that here. I know one certain reader is going to have a heart attack, though... *Guilty smile* DON'T FORGET TO CALL ME THIS TIMEEEEE!!!!! ;)  
  
DJ Rodriguez: Yup, that's what it seems like. I was wearing something similar that day, AE tee, jeans and sneakers, so you can see where that came from. ^_^ Mwah hope Ryu likes those clothes, lol.  
  
Kikoken: Lol. I can't stand it when people make Sakura act immature in their fics either. It irritates me... x.x  
  
Tornado: I love that review! You seem very intelligent, the way you absorb everything I write and interpret it exactly the way I wrote it. Ryu was nice to treat her out to eat for an expensive lunch. He so nice! (lol) And Sakura's all grown up now... She's just about to graduate high school. Mwahahaha I think I can go far with this fic... hopefully I can stop myself before B- never mind. ^_^'  
  
Snipe: You're right. They do need to be longer, so I'll discipline myself to do just that, but I can't force myself to write too much or my attention begins to wander and the next thing I notice is that I'm not writing about Sakura or Ryu, I'm writing about Science posters... and other weird stuff.... x.x  
  
DeNice: *Wink, wink*  
  
Miguel Gama: Thanks! I appreciate your comments! ^_^ I'm glad that you like my story! Read on; it's about to get interesting! And by the way, I love your fic! Please update it again soon! It's hilarious.  
  
Daniel: Wow! You're the same as me! ;) I've got a good plot in mind, but I gotta be careful not to make some of my events coincide with that of Sakura Yosei's RS fic. I don't want anyone to think I'm trying to copy her. (You should check out her fic Cherry Blossom Dragon... it kicks all of my fics' butts!) Anywho happy readings!  
  
Loneranger00: ^___^ Yay! Thanks for reading. Glad you like it.  
  
Squallwis04: Yay! You read it! Thanks... I hope that this fic will turn out to be good. I've gotten a lot of reviews for a few chapters, and I'm all excited and stuff... If only this fic were easy to write!! It's so hard because I really take my time to make everything make sense (unlike my other story) and all... So I'll update whenever school and other stupid stuff isn't trying to kill me! ^_^ Enjoy!  
  
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DISCLAIMER: I don't own anyone!!! Just thanks to Michael for being sweet and helping me and stuff, and DeNice for listening to me.  
  
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Chapter 3  
  
Walking to Ryu's dojo was no easy task. It was at least 30 minutes of walking from the restaurant to his house. Although her legs were beginning to get tired, Sakura ignored them and focused her attention on her time with Ryu.  
  
"So... You said Gouken liked koi..."  
  
"Yeah. There was always this big black and orange one that he named Futotta because he ate ALL of the food we gave the koi. He was a really mean one, too..." Ryu added as he saw the familiar old wooden dojo in the distance.  
  
"Is that it?"  
  
"Ah, yeah. That's where I live," replied Ryu as he reached into his pocket for his keys.  
  
"Anou... Who feeds the koi when you're gone to America?"  
  
At this point, Ryu chuckled a little and hesitated before answering.  
  
"No one. I guess they eat the bugs that drop in the pond. I've only got four koi in the pond; the rest of them got old and died. But Futotta is still there, bigger than ever."  
  
"That's good," said Sakura absentmindedly staring at the large building before her. Its strong boards were showing signs of age, and the paper on the sliding doors was looking slightly dirty. The whole place needed a cleaning, thought Sakura as they reached the large cherry trees in front of the dojo that were about to burst into a pink, beautiful bloom.  
  
"Wow... beautiful..." commented Sakura as they stepped up to the front of the dojo and walked to the doorway.  
  
"The pond's out back... We'll go in here fir- Why is the door cracked?"  
  
Ryu but himself off as he noticed that the door was slightly cracked. He was sure that he hadn't left it that way when he had went out.  
  
"You didn't leave it cracked when you left?" asked Sakura, suddenly concerned.  
  
"No... I had it locked."  
  
Ryu motioned for Sakura to step off to the side as he peered through the crack of the sliding door, squinting to see if there was someone inside. Seeing nothing but darkness, he hesitantly slid it open as Sakura stood on the tips of her toes, trying to see over Ryu's shoulder into the dojo.  
  
Sliding the door open a little more, Ryu stepped in his dojo silently and flicked the lights on. His dark brown eyes scanned the area for signs of anything out of place, but there was nothing. He stepped in and walked around soundlessly, Sakura following his every step. Although everything seemed perfectly normal, she could feel the queasy feeling in her stomach that told her something was not right. She and Ryu were not the only ones in the dojo. There was another energy... Ryu could sense it too.  
  
"Ryu..."  
  
"Shh..."  
  
After several more silenced seconds, a loud, sudden thud from the left made both of them jump. Ryu turned sharply to the source of the sound and found himself gaping at someone whom he hadn't seen in a long time...  
  
"What are you doing in here!?"  
  
"It... It's-"  
  
"Long time, no see..." Bison grinned at the two as he removed his hat and bowed clumsily. "My compliments to the lovely Sakura..."  
  
Sakura's eyes widened as she began to edge behind Ryu, hiding herself from view. A hot surge of anger rushed through Ryu's veins as memories of Bison's cruelty flooded his mind. His hands began to curl into fists as his previous hate for Bison began to burn inside of him again.  
  
"What do you want!?"  
  
"Oh... a favor..."  
  
"And what would THAT be?"  
  
Bison placed his hat back onto his head and gave them both another one of his notoriously hideous smiles. Holding out his hand, he flashed Ryu a grim look before speaking.  
  
"I realize that I am not well-liked in this house... And I apologize for my past actions. But, I have a proposal for you, Ryu..."  
  
Ryu knew that he couldn't trust Bison any more than he could throw him, and he seriously doubted that he could throw Bison at all.  
  
"Yeah, right. What's your proposal? You want me to eat something drugged and pass out for you?"  
  
The smile on Bison's face flickered slightly, signaling that that had been his plan secretly. His eyes moved from Ryu's skeptical face to the dubious look on Sakura's face. A small smile came to his face as a plot began to form into his evil mind. Maybe women could be fooled more easily than men could...  
  
"No Ryu, that's not what I was thinking. I've changed my ways... What a fool I was!" added Bison, hoping one of them would buy it. "But... After all of that, I'm actually looking for some friends to help me adjust to the new life I am leading... See, it's not easy..." commented the former psycho Shadowloo boss.  
  
Sakura was still skeptical of Bison, although he sounded sincere. Then, she remembered the thing her mother had told her about men: No matter how sincere they sound or how pleasing their words are, they'll say or do anything to get what they want. And in this case, Bison really wanted something that was yet to be seen. He was trying to use a sort of fake, dull charm that wasn't working, as anyone intelligent could see.  
  
"That's not good enough for me... You're going to have to prove it," stated Ryu as he noticed Bison's sudden focus on Sakura. Gently reaching behind himself, Ryu began to push Sakura towards the door. Bison had a habit of kidnapping people to lure others into his trap, and Ryu wasn't about to let him take Sakura away from him.  
  
Bison's smile turned into a frown quickly as his mind analyzed what Ryu's words really meant. He knew this was all a hoax... Bison was just acting like this so he could get something... But what could he possibly gain by kidnapping this time? His base had been blown to hell and back, so he couldn't hide out there anymore... So where was he hiding?  
  
...He had more than one base.  
  
It was a simple answer. And it had to be a close one, at that. How else could Bison show up at his dojo discreetly in the 2 hour time range that Ryu had been gone from it?  
  
"Well... If you put it like that..."  
  
A blinding light streaked through the dojo as Ryu and Sakura both closed their eyes tightly to keep the light from blinding them. Ryu could feel it penetrating his eyelids, even though they were clamped shut. Sakura felt the same, until she felt an odd jerk from behind. Her eyes opened instantly, and the light was gone.  
  
Smirking triumphantly, Bison stood behind her, the back of her collar clenched in his fist. He pulled her close.  
  
"Hmhmhmhm... I wouldn't have come here in person had I not had something very important to accomplish!" howled Bison in glee as Ryu's eyes snapped wide open and he saw Bison about to teleport out of the dojo.  
  
"GET BACK HERE!!!!"  
  
Ryu charged at Bison, who appeared to be about to kidnap Sakura. But that was only part of Bison's hastily arranged plan. His real target was Ryu...  
  
As soon as Ryu was about to make a grab for Sakura, Bison swiftly flung her aside and applied a large amount of Psycho energy to Ryu's head.  
  
"AAGHHH!!!"  
  
The dark-colored energy seemed to stab Ryu's head in every direction as he began pulling at his hair and tossing his head around. Every second was becoming more painful for him, and he fell to his knees soon. Seconds later, he found himself rolling around on the floor, screaming in pain and clutching his head.  
  
Sakura, who had hit the wall with a large amount of force, lay on the floor with the back of her head bleeding profusely. Her vision was dim, but her hearing was unaffected from the blow and she could hear Ryu's pitiful screaming as clear as anyone.  
  
"Ryu!!!"  
  
Then, there was silence.  
  
"Hmhmhm... I hope he's not dead..."  
  
There came Bison's hideous chuckle as Sakura sensed Ryu's unconsciousness. She struggled to a crawl position on all fours, but her head refused to lift itself against gravity and hung low. Blood from the back of her head slowly trickled down the front of her face, getting into her eyes and stinging as she began to wail in pain.  
  
A loud snap came from where Bison was standing... the familiar snap of when he teleported. Trembling in pain, Sakura wiped one of her eyes and saw the place where Bison had been standing. There was no one there. He had taken Ryu, and she had no idea where to. Succumbing to the pain, Sakura collapsed on the floor as everything became pitch black.  
  
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My goodness, this is a hard fic to write! Forgive me for not updating sooner. I've been under so much stress lately! Too many things have been going on... upsetting things and just plain weird things. I've already started chapter 4, so it'll be up directly.  
  
PLEASE REVIEW!!! 


	4. Chapter 4

Eternal Spring Chapter 4

**DJ Rodriguez:** Yay! ^__^ Yup, Bison is back and as bad as ever. Doncha just hate him?? Lol! I'm soooo glad you like this fic! 

**Edgar:** Uh-huh, about time you read this! ^_^ Just kidding, just kidding. I'm glad you like it. Cliffhangers are awesome because they're all evil and stuff... :X

**Neko:** Wow! I was having a bad day until I got home and checked my review alerts and found your review! Those comments mean a lot to me! :) This is going to be a really good fic, much better than that other crazy one I posted. I don't like Chun Li too much. She looks too much like me!!! , Anywho, I agree that there are WAAAAAY too many RCL fics, you know. I mean, seriously, they've been done to death almost. It's time for something new! As far as I know, I'm the third person who has written and continued a successful R/S fic, and I'm just getting this thing warmed up! If you want to read some other ones, check out Trutenor and Sakura Yosei's work on here. ^_^ Happy readings!!

**DeNice:** I know! I'm an awful person, ne? Hehe I know you're going to disagree with that but oh well. Once again, Sakura is in a painful situation. Doncha just love me for doing this?? LOL! And I'm still working on New Chronicles. I'll try to finish it soon. I've gotta go sing at a concert Thursday and so I might be a little tired after all that and a little frozen, hehe. It's gonna be freezing out there!!

**Kikoken:** I know whatcha mean. One day, he's just gonna roll over and die. (lol) Anyway, when I get time in the next few weeks, I'm so gonna get on one of those various fics of yours and review every chapter! ^____^ Maybe not every chapter, but you know what I mean lol. Thank you soooooo much for reviewing EVERY chapter of my stories!! You're the only person to hold that title. After I get done with my concert, exams, issues, and other aggravating crap, I'll be sure to do so.****

**Elizabeth****:** ...What the hell does spider-flavored soda taste like?

**Tornado: **Wheeee! Yeah I know. There IS a hidden bond that you were the first person to sense! ^___^ You're smart, you know that? And Bison is an evil little bastard who pulls sneaky tricks! (lol)

**Trutenor: **You DO like it!!! *Gets flattered* Thanks for your help and overall the inspiration you've given me to write this stuff. I couldn't have done it without you!

**Yuko Hoon: **YAY! You read my fic. The reason I didn't elaborate on the first part of my fic was that I didn't want people accusing me of rushing the plot. I didn't want _me _to accuse me of rushing the plot either (lol). The third chapter is related to this chapter in several ways, like the very graphic dream thingy that this chapter brings you into at the beginning of this chapter. Another thing is that I tried to make Sakura seem a little mature in this fic. I didn't want to make her jump on anyone who pisses her off, you know? It's kinda like me. I'm a self-controlled person, but if you catch me on Day 2 and in a sour mood you know I'm gonna snap on you. But that's just me. Sakura is a little older, a little more controlled. Don't get me wrong. There will be some major ass-kicking on Sakura's part, when she gets pissed, but not right now. Don't worry. Bison will feel the pain!!! Mwahaha.

**Odawg:** Yup. There's nothing wrong with training, but it can't take up the boy's whole life! ^_~ Ryu needs a little more than just the fight. And he'll get that in this fic later on. As for your idea, I used one similar to that one once, but it sucked and I deleted it. Hopefully I can use that idea of yours later on and it'll be a hit, just like this one! ^_^ Thanks for reading!!

**Miguel Gama: **Yay! *Gets flattered again* That sounds like fun. I'm kinda busy now. I've got lots of stories to work on now... The Reconciliation (I swear I'm gonna update it soon!), this one, New Chronicles (with DeNice) , and I'm finishing up New Archives 3 (also with DeNice) and another fic that is totally original. When I get rid of all of this stuff weighing me down, I'll get back to you on that. Until then, read on! ^_~

**Sqwallwis: Ok ok! Here's the next chapter! ^_^ It's great that you can see the effort being put into my work. The beginning of this chapter is… well you'll see. Look down.**

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Chapter 4

It was horrifying. It looked as if it had been a place of carnage. Puddles of blood lay all over the floor and the light shining in made it gleam a dark shade. Ryu's eyes wandered across the place, half of him wanting to see where the source of the blood was coming from, half of him not wanting to see the horror he would soon see. 

In the middle of the floor lay a woman. She was the source of all the blood. Ryu's eyes widened in terror as he recognized the body that belonged to Sakura. His mouth fell open and he tried to speak, but nothing came out. He screamed her name over and over, but he knew the the only thing coming out of his mouth was soundless air. Ryu tried to move, to go to her side as she coughed and choked on her own blood, but he found that he couldn't even move. It was a dream-like hell. This place had to be hell. There was no other description for his situation.

A large shadowy figure emerged from nowhere and walked quickly to where Sakura was moaning and lying on the floor dying. Ryu couldn't see his face, but could tell that he wasn't there to help anything. The silhouette stood over Sakura and whipped a knife out. Ryu's eyes began to release hot tears and his mouth opened wide with a silent scream so forceful that his throat seemed to sear with pain. There was nothing he could do but watch as the person crouched by Sakura and sank the knife into her. 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - 

SNAP.

Ryu's eyes came open quickly as he glanced around quickly. 

"SAKURA!!!!" he screamed, but stopped after he saw that he was somewhere unfamiliar. It was definately not the place where Sakura was being killed. "WHERE IS SAKURA!!?!?!"

"I don't think you should be screaming like that..." 

A voice came from beside Ryu, who found that he was bound by his hands and feet on a hard bed. Ryu glanced up and saw Bison standing over him with Vega at his side, both of them smirking down at him.

"Where the hell am I...? More importantly, WHAT DID YOU DO TO SAKURA!!! YOU KILLED HER, DIDN'T YOU!?!?!"

Bison chuckled as Vega showed a small sign of a frown.

"Oh, I think she's still in your dojo bleeding herself dry."

Ryu's eyes widened until Vega commented.

"She is? Why didn't you tell me?? Her blood must be delicious..." commented the insane Spanish former bullfighter. He brushed his long blonde hair back out of his eyes and turned away.

"Well, ta ta for now, I've got some business to be attending..."

"That business better be just primping..."

"Oh, it is... Believe me."

"You're excused."

"Thank you, Master Bison."

Bison saw Vega leave the room before he turned back to Ryu with a large grin on his ugly face.

"Well, you'd better get some rest..."

Bison reached over Ryu and grabbed a mask and brought it towards Ryu's face.

"What the hell is that?!"

As much as Bison tried to place the gas mask over Ryu's nasal, he couldn't due to Ryu's thrashing and fighting. Snapping his fingers in annoyance, a sidekick immediately appeared at Bison's side and assisted him to place the mask over Ryu's mouth and nose. 

Grinning, Bison's insides were tingling inside with glee as he saw Ryu's eyes begin to lose their alertness and haze over. His eyelids slowly fell over his eyes and closed completely. He was soon sleeping like a baby.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Sakura's eyes slowly came open as she felt her limp body grow cold. The sight of her blood lying on the floor around her head caused her to jerk with repulsion and shock. She realized that her hair was full of blood and the back of her head was so sore from the collision and the bleeding. 

"Wh... Where am I?"

Slowly, she found the strength in her to sit up and lean against the wall for support as she gasped for air. She drew her legs and arms up to her central body and tried to warm herself up after losing so much blood.

  
"Where is this place...?"

"The dojo of Ryu Hoshi, and formerly of the great Gouken."

A small gasp emerged from Sakura's lips. She hadn't answered herself... Someone else was here. Sakura slowly raised her heavy head and saw a long shadow at the doorway. 

"Who... are you...?"

No reply came to her question, so she was going to have to find out for herself. Using the wall for balance, she slowly began to stand and looked over to the doorway... and let out a small gasp.

The familiar, handsome blond was standing at the doorway with a wicked look on his face. His eyes gazed long and hard at her, and the usual mad grin was on his face as well. He was shirtless with purple paint over his torso and his long hair tied back behind his head in a long braid. He also was wearing tight, colorful slacks and bright shoes with a thin decorative cloth tied around his waist. It was none other than Vega.

"V-Vega!?"

"Yes, it is I. You do look a mess..." He smiled at her. "Don't worry, I'm here to help you..."

As much as she hated it, Sakura had nothing else to do other than to rely on him for an answer, whether it be a lie or not.

"Wh... Where is Ryu? Is he okay??"  
  


"He's fine... Sleeping like a darling little baby..."

"Where is he?"

"Would you like to see him?"

"I... I want to see him..."

Sakura began to stagger towards Vega, but stumbled and nearly hit the floor flat on her face. She would have if Vega hadn't grabbed her. Gently, he picked her up and wrapped her legs around his middle to make sure she wouldn't slip out of his grip.

"Well, I think we should get there as soon as possible... Bison doesn't know I'm gone yet... It'll be my ass if he finds out that I lied to him..." muttered Vega as he carried Sakura out the door and set her in passenger seat of the small, sleek car that he owned. Jamming the key into the ingition, the car started with a loud roar and sped off onto the road on the way to Bison's latest Shadowloo base.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Bison smiled wickedly as he observed Ryu's unconscious form lying still on the stiff bed. Ryu looked so peaceful and calm when sleeping, but when he was awake, he was completely different to Bison. 

"Your powers will soon be mine, Ryu..." chuckled Bison sadistically as he examined his options of extracting the powers of the Satsui no Hadou from Ryu. But what could be do after the powers were extracted? Kill Ryu? No... He could be useful later on. Perhaps he could use Ryu in some wasy to make a profit... Ransom, maybe.

Bison's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a door opening. Ryu's eyes fluttered open drowsily as he heard a door open and close. Both of their eyes turned to the door and saw Vega walking in with someone else.

"Vega...? Where have you been?"

The cunning blonde simply smiled guiltily and tossed his hair back over his shoulder with a graceful toss of his head.

"I... went to get something..."

Vega was still holding Sakura in his arms carefully, being sure not to drop her. Bison's face showed a look of stupid surprise and then one of confusion. 

"You DID go somewhere else, didn't you? But you're excused since you've brought back something useful."

"She wanted to see Ryu, so why not give the lady what she desires?"

"Ryu!"

Sakura's eyes watered up as she saw Ryu lying bound to the hard bed which was barely larger than a hospital bed. It might have previously been a hospital bed, judging by the adjustable rails on the sides of it. Ryu's eyes wandered over to her and they widened.

"Sakura...? But you... you were..." Ryu's thoughts went back to his nightmare that he had been having before. Then they wandered to her appearance. There was dried and clotted blood all over her face and in her hair, some of it on her torso. Her eyes were swollen and had a reddish tint to them; she looked as if she were still in pain.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER!?!" he screamed at Vega accusingly, who simply scratched his leg with his other foot.

"Nothing of the sort, Ryu... She's too ugly for me..." Vega smiled cruelly as Sakura felt a pang of hurt hit her heart.

"SHUT UP!" Ryu retorted, sensing hurt from the expression on Sakura's face. 

"Well, as much as I'd like to prolong this lovely chat," said Bison finally, "I suggest that you wash that girl's hair. It's unacceptable for me. Bring her back when she's respectable at the very least."

"Yes, master," replied Vega as he turned and walked out of the room with Sakura, enraging Ryu.

"BRING HER BACK IN HERE!!"

"Vega is only going to wash all of that disgusting blood off of her lovely face, Ryu. Don't get your panties in a bunch," smirked Bison as he grabbed a can of soda and took an overly long swig. 

Ryu struggled relentlessly against his bonds but sighed and stopped after he realized that he couldn't break them. He simply wasn't strong enough, which hurt him deep inside. But then he remembered Sakura, who was even weaker than him. Where had all that blood come from? He couldn't remember anything after he passed out... maybe Bison had beat Sakura up after he had knocked Ryu unconscious... Whatever had happened, it was bad.

"Thoughts?" asked Bison, offering Ryu a drink of his soda, which he flatly refused.

"Yeah. Why would you care, though?"

"Curiosity."

"Well... Why is Sakura hurt? What happened to her?"

"Oh... musta threw her against the wall a little too hard... probably bashed the back of her head or something."

"You bastard."

 A loud scream interrupted their conversation as the two's attention was drawn to the door. Who had made that scream? 

"I must go check this... I'll be right back..."  
  


And with that, Bison hastily stepped to the door, leaving Ryu all alone in the large, bare room, wondering what the hell had happened.

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Chan: I know I know! That's not a really good cliffhanger, but it's the best I can do. =P It'll get better.


	5. Chapter 5

Eternal Spring Chapter 5

**Tornado:** Well, I must admit. I was wearing a Santa Claus hat, a white strangling turtleneck shirt, and black skirt, and a very angry expression when I read your review. Then I turned all delirious and stuff. So flattering! ^_~ Damn concert I was to sing at (that night) got cancelled and I was mad as hell (lol) but I might as well stay home and keep my promise to keep working on T.R. and E.S. too. AND ONCE AGAIN! You have a better plot in mind than I do and now I get to use your ideas. (You're good at this, aren't you?) ^_^ Dark hadou... yay I got an idea now. Arigatou!

**DJ Rodriguez:** Wheee! This story is that good? Wow! I'm working hard on it now and thanks to Tornado I've got some good ideas now. You're an excellent writer yourself, so if you have any ideas I'd love to hear them as well! :D

**Kikoken****:** Oh, I know. Bison is an ass. XD What evil is he plotting now:? You'll have to read on a see. ^^

**Well, nice... (Fero?):** I'm glad that you like this! :D Yeah chapter one was kinda an introduction and stuff. And now, on with the good stuff! ^_~

**Neko****:** Yeah! Bison will DIE!! DIE!! DIE!! DIE!! in the end... unless my plot demands otherwise. . He should die! ^_^ Anyway, I'm so glad you love my story. ^^ It's really touching that I keep someone excited with it. That's a writer's biggest reward for writing stuff. And Bison will get a little hell for what he's done (mwah)!

**DMCat15:** Hey cousin! ^__^ Thanks for reading my story. *sniffles* I can't believe we're related! That's just freaky, but cool. I'm glad my mom is a genealogist. READ ON!!!

**Odawg****: **It's ok. I will think of something one way or the other, though someone might have to beat it out of me first. ;)

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SPECIAL THANKS TO TORNADO FOR HELPING ME!!! :)

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Chapter 5

"What the hell is going on in here!?"

Bison's voice boomed in the doorway of a bathroom as he stuck his head in to see what was going on. His pale eyes went from the empty toilet over to the sink, where the water was running and Vega was trying to force Sakura's head under the water. She, of course, was kicking and screaming, but Vega was able to wash the blood out of her hair while making a mess of the bathroom in the process. 

Deciding it was unimportant, Bison shrugged and walked back into the room where Ryu was lying, straining to overhear any noises or parts of conversations that might tell him what was happening. Ryu leered spitefully at Bison as he watched Bison take another swig of soda before sitting down lazily in a large chair provided.

"What was that?!" demanded Ryu as Bison took his time answering.

"Nothing much... Just washing her nasty hair and making her presentable-looking... women should look their best at all times, you know," replied Bison as he stared out a window leisurely. His large fingers rolled up and down the arm of the chair, making an irritating clicking noise. Ryu was close to being on his last nerve...

"I'd cooperate a lot more if you'd just let me off of this thing..." growled Ryu as he shook his dark brown hair out of his eyes and glared at Bison. 

"I don't trust you enough," retorted Bison while grinning psychotically.

~~~Meanwhile~~~

Sakura gasped for air as Vega quickly yanked her face away from the water and brought a towel to her head. Violently jerking the towel about her head, he snarled all while drying her hair. 

"Why the hell am I washing your stupid hair? I bring you here and Bison's supposed to at least be happy with that... what does he care how you look?" Vega muttered to himself as he whipped the towel off of Sakura's head and tossed it onto the floor. He grabbed his own fancy primping brush and combed Sakura's hair neatly as he could before tossing that onto the floor. 

"C'mon..." he hissed as he flung the bathroom door open and almost literally dragged Sakura out, taking her back into the room where Ryu and Bison were glowering at each other. 

"Here," said Vega loudly as he jerked Sakura forward and pushed her, causing her to stumble and nearly fall flat on her face at Bison's feet.

"HEY!!!" yelled Ryu as he shot Vega a piecing look. His gaze then lowered to Sakura, who was walking towards him.

"Ryu..." she murmured as she approached the side of the bed that he was on. Sakura reached out a hand, which was quickly blocked by Bison's arm darting out between them.

"Stop right there..." demanded Bison as he rose from his chair. He towered over Sakura and furrowed his brow in concentration. 

(What the hell am I supposed to use her for? It was only Ryu I wanted...) pondered Bison as he did a kind of frustrated smirk.

Sakura turned her dark eyes up to meet Bison's as she clenched her fists at her sides. There was no way she was going to let this jackass keep her from the man that she loved...

(Maybe I could use her for... persuasion for Ryu...) Bison thought. (Like maybe if he refuses to cooperate, I could threaten to command Vega to do what he does best...)

Vega sighed in annoyance as he leaned up against a wall with his arms and ankles crossed.

(I like that...) thought Bison as an evil smile came upon his face. Soon, another look came upon his face. It wasn't an intentional look. It was the look that anyone would have on their face after getting a fist knocked into it. 

Dizziness overcame Bison as Sakura placed her fists back at her sides and focused herself on how she was going to take him down. 

"Sho-ou-ken!" 

Just as Sakura had begun to charge at Bison, he quickly recovered from his blow and used his masculine strength in the form of a kick to send her flying against the floor.

"Aaaughh!" wailed Sakura as she hit the ground on her side and rolled over onto her back. Wincing in pain, she held her heavy, damp head up only to see Bison approaching her again.

"Stupid girl," said Bison while rubbing his ugly face with his palm. Trembling weakly, Sakura began to pick herself up off the ground but was met with a sharp kick to the side of her head.

"AAAAAHH!!!" 

Sakura's frail form slid across the floor on its side before hitting a hard, brick wall. 

"BISON YOU BASTARD!!!" bellowed Ryu as he desperately strained against his bonds. "QUIT ABUSING HER!!!"

Grinning psychotically, Bison walked over to Sakura and grabbed her by the front of her shirt. He dragged her away from the wall before holding her up in the air. 

"She's nothing more than a weak little girl with a pretty face, Ryu. Surely you can find better-suited girls to fuss over," Bison commented while studying Sakura's facial features. He used his free hand to touch her chin and turn her face until he was rewarded with a swift, powerful kick in the stomach that caused Bison to drop her.

Hearing Bison grunt in pain, Vega glanced up sharply and saw Bison clutching his stomach while bent over. Sakura was standing and backing away from Bison before turning her back and running over to Ryu's bed. 

"Ryu, help me!!" Sakura wailed as she began to undo the tight ropes that we binding Ryu's arms. Ryu tried his best to keep a watch behind her, but spoke too late for Sakura.

"Sakura, behind you!!!"

Just as Sakura turned around, Bison slammed her down on her back onto the side of Ryu's hospital bed that such force that he broke the railing on the side. His hands were grasped around her throat and he had no intentions of releasing his grip. 

"Bitch.... bitch, bitch, bitch..." Bison pronounced each word slowly and effectively as his grip tightened with every single-syllable word. (I think it's a one syllable word... English syllables make no sense .)

Sakura's hands went to his wrist and grabbed it, unsuccessfully trying to unhinge his grip on her throat. Her mouth opened slightly as she began to choke and lose oxygen.

"STOP IT, PLEASE!!!" screamed Ryu as Bison pressed her head down forcefully against the side of the bed. His eyes widened in terror and anger as he watched her face grow paler and paler. What if Bison was intending to kill her just for kicking him?

"BISON!! DON'T YOU HEAR ME!?! LET SAKURA GO!!! I'LL DO ANYTHING!!!"

Bison acted as if he didn't hear Ryu screaming at him. That is, until Vega walked over, his waist wrap brushing gently against his legs as he approached. He placed a hand on his master's shoulder as he watched Sakura's face turn slightly blue. Bison loosened his grip, but did not remove his hand. In his eyes were the same psychotic, insane look that was present when he was killing for pleasure. Despite his inane sense of enjoyment, he turned to Vega with a serious, sober look on his face.

"What is it?"

"You might want to spare her... for now. Ryu just stated that he will undergo our plans," Vega paused before shooting Ryu a spiteful look. "....without resistance."

Ryu sneered back at Vega but turned his dark eyes over to the evil, despicable Shadowlaw mastermind. Bison was eyeing him with intensity. 

"If I spare this girl's life, you promise to do everything I tell you to?" asked Bison incredulously.

Ryu forced himself to nod as he saw Bison's fingers slowly removing themselves from around Sakura's thoat. Bison stared down at Sakura as she began to slip down to the floor, and then Bison turned his gaze back up to Ryu. 

"Deal done," Bison announced as he snapped his fingers. Immediately, the bonds that had been holding Ryu down were broken and fell to the floor in a heap.

Confused, Ryu quickly wriggled his arms and stood up, facing Bison. The two met eyes for a short amount of time, before Ryu lowered his to Sakura and bent over to pick her up off the floor.

"Ryu... tell me one thing..." Bison started hesitantly. "Why is it... why do you care so much for this girl...?"

Ryu's hands were under Sakura's arms and he was pulling her upward, but stopped when Bison asked that question. For once, he couldn't think of anything to say in responce to Bison's inquiry. Simply staring at Bison, Ryu thought about the question in detail inside his mind.

"It... That's..."

"Speechless?" taunted Bison as he let out a loud, horrible laugh and turned his back to Sakura and Ryu. Signaling for Vega to follow, Bison exited out the central door, closing it and locking it behind him. 

Ryu stood there, bent over, holding Sakura under her arms, staring at the door blankly. Why was Bison letting him stay untied and alone in the room? Well, Sakura was there... but why no security? 

A soft moan from Sakura snapped Ryu back into the real world as he quickly hoisted Sakura up to her feet. Obviously weak from her struggle, Sakura slumped back into Ryu's chest and let her head roll to the side onto her shoulder. Ryu gently turned her to face him.

"Sakura... What happened to you?"

Sakura's soft brown eyes met with Ryu's, and a small smile formed on her face.

"Ryu... It's... nothing serious..."

"Yes it is! Did he try to hurt you?"

"No... My head's still pounding, though..."

Ryu brought one of his hands gently behind her head and felt a large lump there and some dried blood. Rubbing his fingers softly against it, he imagined the pain she must have felt when she had received this wound. Bison would have to pay... 

"Ow..."

Immediately, Ryu removed his hand from behind her head as he realized that he was making the scar even more painful by touching it. 

"I'm sorry..." he stammered as he gently allowed Sakura to sit on the edge of the hospital bed. Sakura nodded her thanks and gave him a rather serious look before springing a sudden question.

"Ryu... Do you mind if I... ask a question?" 

"Sure." 

"Actually... I have... OW!!!"

Sakura grabbed her head and winced against the pain that had suddenly hit her. Ryu reached his hand out to comfort her, but stopped as he realized that he might be doing the wrong thing.

"I'm ok... But I need to tell you something..." murmured Sakura.

"I do, too..." said Ryu slowly. Somehow, he knew what she was going to say before she even said it. Sakura looked down at the floor briefly before looking back up at Ryu, who was trying to figure out where to begin.

"Um... well..." Sakura stammered, knowing where this conversation was about to lead. As the two stared at the ground with their minds churning to find something to say to break the silence, a knock sounded at the door.

Sakura jumped, startled, as a face appeared in the crack of the door. It was Vega, who had on a very agitated look. 

"Ryu, come with me. Sakura, you stay here," demanded Vega as he opened the door a little wider. "Bison needs to see Ryu, alone," he added, putting emphasis on the last word of his sentence. Ryu turned once to look at Sakura, before heading towards the door.

"I'm sorry... Sakura..." he whispered as both Vega and he left out the door without another word to her. 

Sakura looked down at her lap, tears stinging in her eyes. What were they going to do to Ryu? How did she know that she was ever going to see him alive again? The truth was... she didn't know. As Vega and Ryu's footsteps echoed away, Sakura felt a heavy feeling hit her stomach- one of dread.

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Review!!!


	6. Chapter 6

Eternal Spring  
  
DJ Rodriguez: I make you feel honored by mentioning you? It's an honor to get your reviews! :) And I have no intention of stopping this story... The Reconciliation may be doomed... but this story will LIVE!!! :P  
  
Kikoken: I know, Bison is an evil manipulating little bastard. Guess what he plans to do to Ryu after he's done extracting Ryu's powers. *moves side of hand across throat* Yeah. Evil, ne? And about that R/S fic you're planning to do... GO FOR IT! I can't wait, I'll read it, and review it, and have weird dreams about it, and... you get the point. I'd NEVER think that YOU would write an R/S fic... You're such a hardcore R/CL fan. If you'd told me this a year ago, I would have had a heart attack. ;)  
  
Neko: (bug eyes) LOOOOOOOONG REVIEW!!! :D I love those. Let's kill Bison!!! You use the mallet, I'll use a... a... cheese grater! *whips out cheese grater* XD Anyway, it thrills me endlessly to know that I get you so worked up with this story. It's thrilling, and flattering, and makes me all stupid- happy-ecstatic. You look up to me as a writer, too? That's so flattering that I could just roll over and die. ^_^ (Don't worry, I won't... not until the fic is over, actually XD) Enjoy the next chapter, and remember, the mallet should be locked in the closet until you've finished reading!!!  
  
Tornado: :D Don't worry about it. Your comments always spark ideas in me. It's also nice to have someone point out key essentials for elaborating the plot. Vega does have something in mind, I just gotta figure out what it is! ^_^; *watches people fall out of chairs* It's ok! It's ok! I've got something in mind. I'll get that out and open soon, until then, THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!!  
  
HBW2003: *gasp* You reviewed! ^_^ I'm glad that you did. When people don't review, I don't know that they're reading this and I don't know that they're supporting me. Thanks for reviewing! Suspense is a good thing, too... XD Great job on your fanfic, I'm looking forward to more!  
  
DMCat15: Hey cuz! I reviewed your song fic for you. You're insane... kinda like me. Runs in the family, I guess. *Mwah*  
  
Trutenor: Thanks! Oh my god, you put this fic on your website! XD And as for Balrog and Sagat... well... I threw something at Sagat and killed him and Balrog's out pimping or something...Just kidding. ^^' I dunno, they're just... absent... I might use them later on or something; I'm still lying awake at night thinking about what to write in this fic. Thanks for the suggestion, though!  
  
Squallwis04: Ahhh quit reading my mind!! :O Haha, don't worry. You can read my mind all you want. I was thinking about making that happen just so... And it shall. Bison's gonna D_I_E!!!! lol!  
  
DeNice: *starts crying* IT'S NOT MY FAULT!! I'M NOT THE ONE BEING ABUSIVE HERE!!!! -_-' *sighs and locks door* In the end, Bison will get what he deserves. Until then, please don't kill me.  
  
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Chapter 6  
  
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The hallway Ryu found himself in with Vega was almost completely dark and had a rather chilly atmosphere. Its walls were made out of stainless steel, Ryu thought, judging by the color and luster. Looking ahead, Ryu saw a large, stout door with a large skull carving on it. It was the same one that Bison wore as decoration on his hat. As Vega and he approached the door, it automatically slid open to let them enter.  
  
Bison was sitting in a large, professional-looking chair behind a desk with nothing on it but a few empty cans of soda and a half-empty bottle of rum. (Half-empty! not half full lol) On his face was a stern, serious look that had been absent moments ago. As Ryu approached, however, Bison's ugly face began to curve into a small smile.  
  
"Well, Ryu, are you ready?"  
  
Ryu remained silent as Bison rose up out of his seat and walked over to him. Bison towered before Ryu with a sadistic smirk on his face for a while before speaking again.  
  
"Right this way..."  
  
Bison, Vega, and Ryu began walking over towards another door, this one large, metallic silver, and open. As the three passed through it, Ryu saw a large contraption near the back of the room. It looked like a legless table, with straps attached to it to hold a person down and still. Ryu felt his stomach twist into a knot. This was like some kind of horror movie...  
  
"Ryu, if you would kindly sit in this chair and let us take a blood sample, we will decide it unnecessary to strap you to that table over there..." Bison informed Ryu with a hint of demand in his voice. Ryu did as he was told, and let his eyes wander over to a table several yards away, where a pale, sickly-looking doctor was fumbling with what looked like a needle with something strange attached to it. Ryu squinted, trying to see what it was, but Bison stepped in his line of view and caused him to look up.  
  
"Well, Ryu, all we're going to do right now is take that blood sample, and it won't hurt a bit. It's just the same as getting it done in a hospital, but I demand only the BEST equipment," Bison grinned like mad as Ryu looked away and fought the urge to roll his eyes.  
  
As the wan doctor yanked his arm outward and pricked it with a needle, Ryu's thoughts began to wander to Sakura, who was probably still in the room, worried about him. Ryu frowned as the doctor stuck him repeatedly with the needle, trying to find a crucial blood vein under Ryu's handsomely tanned skin. His thoughts drifted back to Sakura. She was probably worried sick about him. In his mind, he could see her adorable face with a frown on it, which made Ryu frown even more. Her beautiful face needed to have a smile on it...  
  
("Why... am I thinking about this...?")  
  
~~~~ Meanwhile ~~~~  
  
"DAMMIT!!"  
  
Pain shot up and down Sakura's arm, her fist being the source of the pain in the first place. Her fist collided once more with the hard metal of the door keeping her from rescuing Ryu from Bison. That was the last obstacle keeping her from the man she loved. A stupid door!  
  
Again, Sakura punched the door in frustration, tears streaming down her face. Her shoulders rose and fell like tides as her usually soft, bright eyes had a fiery glare in them.  
  
"Damn Bison!! Damn Vega!! He tricked me!!!"  
  
Surges of pain rushed up and down her arm once more as Sakura let it fall limply to her side. Her other hand went to her face to wipe away the tears that were blinding her as she let out a soft sniffle.  
  
"Why am I so sensitive.... and weak...?" she wondered out loud, remembering what Bison had told her. Then, her thoughts went to Ryu and something that he had told her a long while back...  
  
"You have potential. Don't ever let anyone else tell you that you're not strong, because you are. I can see that."  
  
Sakura clenched her fists as she took that quote to heart. Ryu was right. She wasn't about to let what Bison had said get to her, but she couldn't help feeling inferior to this door that was keeping her secluded from everyone else.  
  
"Ryu... I'm coming..." Sakura turned her fiery eyes back up to the door with hate and kicked it. It still would not budge.  
  
"Stupid door!"  
  
SLAM.  
  
Sakura threw herself against the door, her side hitting it with all the might she could muster.  
  
("I've got to get out of here...")  
  
The door wouldn't budge. The pain began to spread throughout her body, but she felt it numb as her determination grew. Slamming herself against the door repeatedly, tears of pain stung at her eyes as she gritted her teeth to keep on going.  
  
"This is hopeless!" wailed Sakura as she leaned against the door, panting for breath. Her face was flushed crimson-red from the effort, and her brain was churning with wild and desperate thoughts. Any minute now, Bison would begin doing horrible things to Ryu.  
  
Then, the ideal thought came to her: Hadoken.  
  
A smile crossed Sakura's face as it became clear. Bodily force was doing nothing to this door... but if she could get enough energy for Shinkuu Hadouken, the door would come down easily.  
  
"Shinkuu..."  
  
**A minute later**  
  
CRASH!!  
  
As soon as the door hit the floor, Sakura immediately began running out into the dark hallway. It was rather cold and had a musty smell lingering about in it; definitely the one that Ryu and Vega had walked out of the room and into.  
  
As Sakura's feet hit the floor, it made a loud PLAK PLAK PLAK noise. The hall seemed to be made out of entirely metal: strong yet noisy. Glancing ahead, Sakura saw a large door with a skull carving on it.  
  
"This is it..." whispered Sakura to herself as she flung the door open and charged in.  
  
The desk was empty. Everything in there was empty, but there was two doors wide open. One of them led into what looked like a closet, and the other led into a large room where voices were mumbling.  
  
("In there!")  
  
Sakura sprinted into the doorway, unmindful of the danger she was about to enter into. All that mattered to her was Ryu, and she was going to find him and put a stop to whatever was going to happen to him.  
  
There.  
  
Ryu was sitting in a chair with a rather dazed look on his face. Bison was standing next to Ryu while a doctor appeared to be doing something at a nearby lab table. Sakura's eyes widened as she saw some cables connected to Ryu's arm, draining blood and something dark, dark blue or purple.  
  
"RYU!!!" screamed Sakura as she covered her mouth in horror. Immediately, Bison, the doctor, and Ryu looked at her and their mouths fell open simultaneously.  
  
"How did you get in here!?" demanded Bison as he gaped at her with a stupid expression on his very unappealing face.  
  
"What are you doing to Ryu!?" Sakura shot back her own question, ignoring Bison's.  
  
"I don't think I should be discussing my affairs with impudent, weak little girls," Bison said grandly, emphasizing the word 'weak'.  
  
Ryu's dark eyes widened at Sakura as he opened his mouth to say something, but instead closed his eyes and jerked as if he were in pain.  
  
Sakura's own eyes widened and she let out a gasp as she felt her arms being jerked behind her and someone's gaze penetrating through the back of her head.  
  
"Please forgive me, Master. I'll dispose of her in a proper way," came the distinct accented voice of Vega from behind Sakura. She could feel his hair brushing the back of her neck and his grip tighten on her arms.  
  
"Thank you Vega, but I have one more thing..."  
  
"Yes, sir?"  
  
"Make sure you prolong her suffering... and don't kill her. Pain is a very good way to break the spirit of a person. After that, I will decide if we should kill her or not," said Bison in a dangerous voice.  
  
"WHAT?!" came the response from Ryu, who tried to stand, but found that there was a strap holding him to his chair that had been placed there while he was dazed from the blood drawing and drugs in his system.  
  
"You heard me, Vega. Ryu, I don't think you want to see this, so I shall send them away," Bison stated as he turned back to Ryu, an insane smile on his face as Ryu's blood began to boil.  
  
"Bison, you lied to me!! You said that you wouldn't hurt Sakura if I came willingly!"  
  
"Indeed I lied. It's a habit of mine, I suppose," Bison chuckled slightly at himself.  
  
"IT'S NOT FUNNY!" said Ryu testily.  
  
WHAM!  
  
A loud yell was heard as all attention was turned to Vega, who was on his knees, holding his abdomen. A few drops of blood splattered the ground as Sakura charged at Bison, who was in shock from what had happened to his number one man.  
  
"Haru... Ichiban!"  
  
Sakura lowered herself to the floor and gracefully shot her leg out, spinning and tripping Bison repeatedly. Whenever Bison would trip and start to fall, he would be tripped again. After a few seconds, Sakura rolled out of the line of his fall and rushed over to Ryu.  
  
"Oh my god, Ryu, are you all right?" Sakura's voice faltered as she reached down to Ryu's waist and tried to undo the bonds that bound him to the chair.  
  
"Sakura, get away! Vega-" Ryu was cut off as Vega appeared behind Sakura, and grabbed her by the hair.  
  
"You..." growled Vega as Sakura struggled wildly against him, like a fish on the end of a hook. "You little..."  
  
Bison was lying on the floor, out of breath and unable to get up. He was smiling as he saw Vega's free hand grab Sakura's face and cause it to face his.  
  
Sakura was kicking and clawing at Vega, but he willed himself to ignore the pain and focus on causing HER pain. The hand that was grasping her face slowly tightened its grip, causing her to wince and her face to contort.  
  
"I'm going to mess up that ugly face of yours worse than it already is..." Vega growled as he slammed Sakura against the wall.  
  
"Stop!!" yelled Sakura as she kicked Vega in his already sore stomach, causing him to take a step back away from her. Sakura held her chin with one hand and had the other raised in a threatening motion towards Vega.  
  
Vega's eyes became wide as he realized that only threatening to use cruel, brute force was not enough. It was time to get down...  
  
Bison teleported to his feet beside Ryu and stood there in silence.  
  
Sakura took one last rebellious glance at Bison before presenting Vega with a knee to his chin and a kick to the ribs, which missed. Vega saw a flaw in Sakura's kick and grabbed her ankle, causing her to lose her balance and fall to the floor.  
  
Vega reached beneath his decorative cloth that he kept wrapped around his waist and withdrew his most prized possession that was the last thing Sakura wanted to see. A sadistic smile came upon his face as he placed his claw upon his left hand and released his grip on her ankle.  
  
Swiftly, he leapt down to the ground and crouched beside Sakura, pointing his claw directly at her stomach.  
  
"If you make one move, I'm going to ram this thing into your stomach, and believe me, it's going to hurt. You're going to bleed to death slowly... pain for days... maybe even weeks... And you'll be begging me to kill you," Vega said, smiling with a sense of victory and dominance.  
  
"You... you cheating scumbag..." said Ryu in a low voice that was trembling with disgust and anger. His face had been downcast, but when he raised it to look over at Vega and Sakura, everyone was stunned to see that the hate burning in his eyes was blood-red.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chan: Who do ya hate NOW!??! Hahaha. Please review just to show that you're reading this! :D Thanks! 


	7. Chapter 7

Eternal Spring  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
DJ Rodriguez: O_O; I shall relay that message immediately. Thanks for your comments. ^_^ This is the best story I've ever written, and you can bet that it'll go smoothly from beginning to end, as long as I stay motivated. :D  
  
Kikoken: Oh yes, most definately, lol.  
  
DMCat15: Uh... Bison wants me to give you this letter. *gives letter addressed to "Chan's Cousin That Kilt Me"* I think it's an obituary, I'm not sure... ^_^; Anyway, I read and reviewed some of those stories. I'll try to get the rest when I have time. ^_^  
  
DeNice: Please don't kill me at the end of this chapter. And don't let Sakura read it, either. PLEAAASEEE I VALUE MY LIFE!! And by the way, The Reconciliation is still alive. I'm just taking my time updating; updating this one is more fun and it's easier to write, ya know?  
  
Tornado: *Chan crouches discreetly behind computer chair, then leaps into view* BISON LIES!!!!! Lol, you were right, he lied. What exactly was that black stuff going in and out of that second cable? Hell, even I don't know. Something freaky, I guess. I suppose it's time for the ass-kicking scene now, ne? XD Fun fun fun. I still suck at writing violence though... I'm always the one who gets my abused by my friends at school... :X Hopefully this will turn out okay.  
  
Neko: Hehe. I'm glad that you liked it. More to come! *whips out cheese grater* Uh.. normally... My friend and I use this to kill spiders... strangely... but in this case... KILL BISON!! AAAAIIIIEEEEE!!!! *runs out of room yelling random stuff and waving the cheese grater around*  
  
Miguel Gama: Whoo... Verbal abuse on Bison's behalf! ^_^ LOL!!! (...like Bison's ever gonna need those in the future... :X lmao!)  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Chapter 7  
  
"Ryu..." whispered Sakura as her eyes widened to their largest size. She didn't dare move in fear that if she did, Vega would effortlessly sink the blades of his claw into her stomach. Sakura watched in horror as Ryu jerked his arm, yanking the needles and other devices out of his arm. He also ripped the belt strapping him down in the chair in half easily with one swipe of his hand. Bison, Vega, and Sakura stared as Ryu, no, Evil Ryu, stood and glared at all of them.  
  
Bison took a few steps back from Evil Ryu and nearly tripped over his own two feet when he met Evil Ryu's glance. For a while, no one could say a thing as Bison and Evil Ryu stared at one another. Sakura lay on the ground on her back, unable to move while Vega crouched at her side, his claw aimed and ready to strike.  
  
Suddenly, Bison smiled wickedly at Evil Ryu.  
  
"Well... it seems that I will be able to see that magnificent power for myself... right now!"  
  
"You certainly will..." said Evil Ryu in a deep, dark tone. It was Ryu's voice, yet it wasn't Ryu's voice. It seemed so low, evil... and possessed...  
  
As Bison and Evil Ryu continued to glare at one another, Vega turned his attention to Sakura once more.  
  
"Maybe I should go ahead and kill you now... You're never going to be useful after all..." he whispered sadistically. Vega raised his claw to strike quickly as Sakura's eyes widened. It was now or never...  
  
"RYUUUU!!!!" she screamed and brought her legs to her central body before kicking Vega in the chest. This caught Evil Ryu's attention as Vega grabbed Sakura before she could run anywhere. Evil Ryu stared as Vega pinned Sakura down hard and slashed at her stomach, leaving several shallow scratches as a warning. Once again, Sakura screamed in pain, causing something to stir Evil Ryu's emotions.  
  
"You asshole..." murmured Evil Ryu as he warped towards Vega. A lightning- fast smack sent Vega flying several feet back away from Sakura and Evil Ryu.  
  
Bison and Sakura stared in awe as Vega rolled to his feet and charged mindlessly back towards Evil Ryu, who was waiting for him.  
  
"Shoryuken!"  
  
Vega was sent flying again as Evil Ryu's fist cracked against Vega's face once more. He landed on the floor a few feet away from the wall while he coughed and wiped his face.  
  
"My... my... my beautiful face... YOU... HOW DARE YOU!!!!!" screamed Vega as he clutched his face, which was now sporting a small, minor bruise on his left cheek. Once again, he dashed at Evil Ryu, this time, using his claw. Crimson spray splattered the floor as Evil Ryu's arm was sliced in several places.  
  
"BLOCKING DOESN'T WORK!!" squealed Vega as he began to literally lose it. "KYYYAAAAAAA!!!!!"  
  
Evil Ryu simply glared as Vega charged once more towards him, his claw pointing directly forward. As Vega approached, Evil Ryu smiled.  
  
CRACK.  
  
Sakura and Bison stared in horror as Vega's arm snapped and bent backwards (AN: O_O;; ew) and his claw sank into his skin. Evil Ryu gripped Vega's broken arm menacingly with an evil smile on his face. Vega's eyes widened as the claw sank farther and farther into his chest. Blood began to splatter the floor as Vega fell flat on his back, his mouth stretched open in a silent scream. He grabbed the claw and yanked it out of him, and threw it to the floor beside him. It hit the floor with a metallic clatter as an eerie silence filled the room.  
  
Sakura raised her hand and placed it over her mouth to muffle her also silent scream. Her eyes were widened and trembling with hot tears spilling out of them as she stared at Evil Ryu. He was... a... monster...  
  
Bison was also gaping at Evil Ryu, who had just taken his number one man down easily with his own weapon. Bison's hands were clenched at his sides, trembling with shock and rage.  
  
("How dare he...")  
  
Evil Ryu turned to look at Bison with the front of his now darkened gi spotted with blood.  
  
"You see, Bison, you are weak. If that idiot was that easy to take down, I expect you to be no different..."  
  
"YOU FOOL! SHUT UP!!" Bison said, the heat rising within him as his voice trembled with rage. His hands longed to place themselves on Evil Ryu's neck; to drain the last bit of life out of him...  
  
Sakura did not look at Bison; she found that she could not take her eyes off Evil Ryu. Her heart was with mixed feelings: did she love him, or did she hate him? It was Ryu... yet it was not Ryu. He physically resembled Ryu, but acted like a totally different person. Only time could tell...  
  
Meanwhile, Bison and Evil Ryu were staring at each other coldly yet with fire in each of their eyes. For several moments, no one said a thing. Slowly, Bison's trembling fists came forward to do some speaking of their own...  
  
"Gyyyaaaaa!!" howled Bison as he swung a large, pulsating fist towards Evil Ryu's face. It was strong, heavy, and fast, however, Evil Ryu still managed to dodge it easily. Bison's fist only touched Evil Ryu's dark, flowing headband before a knee was delivered to Bison's stomach.  
  
As his eyes widened in shock and pain, Bison nearly fell to the floor. Catching himself, he darted sideways, out of line of Evil Ryu's tatsumakisenpuukyaku.  
  
"GGGRRR...!" Bison grunted as he shot a small ball of energy in Evil Ryu's direction. The energy connected, and Evil Ryu was knocked to the floor. He caught himself, however, and hoisted himself off of the ground and to the side right before Bison's foot came down where his head had previously been.  
  
"Shit!" cursed Bison as he saw how fast Evil Ryu was able to move now.  
  
Evil Ryu teleported behind Bison and kicked him in the back of the head, knocking him color-blind for a few seconds. It was then that Bison realized that he was underestimating Evil Ryu.  
  
("Teleportation... I can do that too...")  
  
"Shinku..." Evil Ryu murmured lowly as he gathered power to use against Bison. This fight didn't need to last any longer than it had to...  
  
"Tatsumakisenpukyakuu..."  
  
As Evil Ryu rose up from the ground and swung his first kick towards Bison, he was shocked to find that Bison had disappeared. Cancelling his attack, he fell onto one knee on the ground, trying to sense where Bison had gone.  
  
"BEHIND YOU!"  
  
Evil Ryu turned around quickly only to feel the force of a knee crashing into his face. The intensity and swiftness of the knee blow sent him to the floor on his back, a small trickle of blood flowing from his mouth. He coughed and rolled over to the left in order to dodge Bison's next attack.  
  
Leaping to his feet, Evil Ryu saw a glimpse of Bison about to teleport. He sent a right-hook at Bison, but stopped as he saw his fist go right through Bison's blurred reflection. Automatically, Evil Ryu's eyes swerved from left to right, trying to locate Bison quickly. This fight was beginning to get slightly difficult.  
  
Bison reappeared behind Evil Ryu once more. He was able to fool Evil Ryu with that once, but he wasn't going to do it again. Evil Ryu whirled around and landed a punch square in Bison's chest. The breath was knocked out of Bison as his ugly face contorted with pain.  
  
"Hadouken!"  
  
The blue energy blast hit Bison in the stomach, causing him to fall down onto the floor.  
  
As soon as Bison hit the floor, Evil Ryu saw an opportunity. He pounced down upon and bombarded him with punches, knocking the sense out of Bison temporarily. As Evil Ryu continued to pummel Bison, Sakura stood in silence, half of her wanting to speak and the other half warning her to stay silent.  
  
Bison threw Evil Ryu off after a while, and stood up with difficulty. It was then that Evil Ryu took the initiative to end this battle...  
  
"SHORYUKEN!!!"  
  
Evil Ryu charged at Bison, who was still slightly dazed from the beating, and performed his signature move. His fist smashed against Bison's face as both of them rose from the ground briefly and came back down. Evil Ryu landed one knee with grace; Bison landed on his back with a loud crash.  
  
A soft, choked gasp coming from Bison signaled the air of defeat. Evil Ryu stood slowly, staring at Bison to verify his cry of defeat. He took a few more seconds to stare at Bison, before standing up straight and tall. His gaze seemed to linger on Bison, as if doubting that he were really defeated. Maybe it was all a hoax. Evil Ryu shrugged the thought away. There was no way that Bison was going to be a threat now since he was so weak.  
  
Sakura felt her heart's pulse speed up as Evil Ryu turned slowly to her, his cold, peircing gaze causing her to seemingly melt beneath it. She didn't dare move; there was no way of telling what he was going to do. It was just Evil Ryu and she now...  
  
"R-ri... Ryu...?" stammered Sakura, slurring her syllables when she saw Evil Ryu's eyes narrow at her as he glared in her direction.  
  
Convulsions shook Sakura's body slightly as Evil Ryu began walking in her direction. Diverse emotions fluctuated throughout her mind as she found herself face to face with Evil Ryu. His eyes seemed cold yet fiery with hate in them. Hate? Did he hate her?  
  
"Um... thanks... for-"  
  
SMACK!  
  
Sakura trailed off with her words as a large red spot appeared on the side of her face. The blow had nearly knocked her off her feet since it was so unexpected.  
  
Evil Ryu's fist remained in the place where it had come into contact with her face; however, his line of eyesight followed her face. His face remained emotionless as he watched for her reaction; his muscles also tensing in preparation for a fight.  
  
Sakura turned her face back towards him, placing a hand on the now sore side of her face, her eyes watering up from the pain and also from the thought of him hitting her without good reasoning.  
  
"R-r... Ryu... Why? I'm your friend..." whispered Sakura as she made eye contact with him again, feeling herself cringe beneath their intensity. Sakura could feel all the hate that he had held up for a long time burning into her as he looked her in the eye.  
  
"I have no need for 'friends'..." growled Evil Ryu as he swung another fist at Sakura, who grabbed it skillfully since it was a weak punch. Evil Ryu scowled and came again with a swift kick that was aimed to connect with her waist, but Sakura brought her leg up to block it.  
  
"Stupid... girl..."  
  
Evil Ryu snatched himself away from Sakura as she took a defensive stance. She didn't want to fight, but she had to defend herself. There was no way she was going to be able to reach Ryu now... He had plunged too far into the darkness.  
  
"Shoryuken!"  
  
Evil Ryu began to charge at Sakura with his fist glowing, but she knew what to expect... or so she thought. As she prepared to counter his attack, he vanished from sight.  
  
"What?"  
  
Sakura's eyes widened as she dropped her guard in shock. Bewildered, she spun around, trying to see where Evil Ryu had gone. Before she could find out, though, Evil Ryu appeared right in front of her and slammed his fist into her face with utmost force.  
  
The two of them rose together in the air, Evil Ryu's fist rising, Sakura's body absorbing the impact and falling backwards to the floor. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion...  
  
CRASH.  
  
Sakura hit the floor on her back roughly, smacking her head against the hard stone floor of the laboratory. Her wound from before seared with white-hot pain as Sakura screamed, rolling onto her side and clutching her head in pain. Evil Ryu landed down before her and stood there, staring down at her emotionlessly.  
  
"I guess I can kill you now... annoying girl..."  
  
Sakura stopped moving as Evil Ryu bent over and grabbed her by the hair, lifting her to her feet roughly. Her body was still in shock from her already sore head colliding with the hard floor, and she felt paralyzed not only by that, but also with fear.  
  
Evil Ryu leered at her as he brought this free hand to her neck and grasped it. For a moment, Sakura thought he was going to choke her to death. But from the way he was holding it steady, she realized that he had another method in mind. One jerk to the side was all it would take to snap her fragile neck...  
  
"Farewell..."  
  
~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~  
  
AN- Oh my god, I'm evil!! ^_^ Let's NOT kill me here... not yet, anyway. *THAT MEANS YOU, SAKURA!!* . Thanks to Michael once more for giving me ideas, I couldn't have done it without him. :D Also thanks to Jacob, boy, you keep me insane. Reviewers, you played the biggest part here. This story is almost at a close; there's going to be a little more to this, surely a few more twists, and lots of romance! XD One more thing before you review, please forgive me for updating so slowly. It's getting hard to update as often as I used to because I'm *trying* to get a life... and enjoy my time before I go back to hell (school) on January 5... Ok I'll shut up now. PLEASE REVIEW!!! 


	8. Chapter 8

Eternal Spring  
  
DJ Rodriguez: Thanks for your compliments! :) Sakura knows what you're talking about. Although this chapter may seem a little cheesy and cliché, read on...  
  
DeNice: Uh... Yeah, make sure Bison gets a little ass-kicking on my behalf. If no can do, I can always come over there myself and kick his ass (though there won't be much of it left when Sakura's done with him) lol. Boy, you've gotta get online early in the mornings! I always miss you when you get on! From now on, I'll be on at 6 A.M., unless I don't get up or the dail up refuses to connect... .TALK TO ME!! *goes psycho*  
  
Kikoken: AAAHHH!!!! YOU SCREAMING AT ME!! *hides under bed* I'm glad you liked the way I portrayed The Evil One. Just don't hurt yourself. *Sweatdrop* Mason doesn't like me. He thinks I'm scary cause Edgar sent him over here and he like... ran away. *yells* I DON'T COOK THAT BAD, DO I!?! O_O;; One more thing... am I invited to the wedding? LOL  
  
Tornado: Yeah, computers can be aggravating, ne? I'm so glad that you complimented my fight scenes... I was scared people wouldn't like them because they're so short and stuff. And, as usual, you're dead on with the plot. You always know what's gonna happen! *wails* I'M PREDICTABLE!!! NOOOO!! ^_^  
  
Edgar (Blue-Eyes Knight): I'm so evil, aren't I? Oh Edgar, how could I kill Sakura? Firstly, she's my favorite character; secondly, the romance hasn't even began yet! ^__^  
  
Neko: You know, I'm not feeling sorry for Bison even a little bit. You won't feel sorry for him when you see what he does, and then the same goes for Vega. ;) Hint, hint. And I just can't kill Bison, sadly enough. I mean, I've got my ex-boyfriend begging me not to kill Bison because Bison is his favorite character (strangely)... So I can't kill Bison! Argh! *throws cheese grater at Bison and knocks him out*  
  
Trutenor: I'm ecstatic that the fight scenes impressed you! They're my major weak spot... I'm trying to get better, though. It's about to get to the really emotional part where the romance gets sparked. Yay!  
  
Disclaimer: Atashi fukumu izonganai... Never mind. I don't own anyone in this story. Seriously, please don't sue me. I know this is a short chapter, please forgive me!  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
Chapter 8  
  
Sakura's eyes began to water up as her vision blurred, giving her a feeling of total despair. Evil Ryu had no intentions of releasing his grip on her throat. That broke Sakura's heart. Why? Why was all this happening to her? She was about to die at the hands of the man she loved...  
  
"Farewell..."  
  
Sakura's eyes released more salty tears that they had been holding back as she brought her hands forward and placed them lightly on Evil Ryu's hand.  
  
"Please... can I... just say one last thing...?" Sakura said breathlessly, her heart racing. What if he was so lost that he wasn't listening? God, she didn't want to die without confessing what she had held in her heart so long.  
  
Evil Ryu eyes flared at her, and an irritated snarl formed on his face.  
  
"What do you have to say?" he demanded.  
  
Sakura flinched at the sharp sound of his voice lashing hate at her. This was her last chance... Then, it would be all over for her.  
  
"Ryu... I've been wanting to tell you for so long... I just couldn't find the strength to tell you..." Sakura took a deep breath, and swallowed deeply. "But... I... Ryu, I love you... Please don't do this to me... I love you..."  
  
It took a while for the meaning of what Sakura had confessed to actually set in Evil Ryu's mind. As he stared down into her face with a blank expression, Sakura's tears slipped down her face and onto his hand. She remained silent, sensing the internal clash he seemed to be having. It seemed as though one side of him was struggling against the other one, neither of them being able to dominate the other.  
  
After several minutes had passed, Sakura felt Evil Ryu's fingers loosen their grip around her neck. She glanced up from the floor up to his face and saw that his eyes were reverting back to their original brown color. The instant his eyes settled on brown, Ryu's karate gi resumed its normal white color, although still soaked with the blood stains on the front.  
  
Ryu stared blankly at Sakura for a moment, before hastily removing his grip from her neck. His eyes widened as he looked from her down onto the floor, where Bison and Vega lay.  
  
He opened his mouth to say something, but couldn't find the words. Slowly, he turned his attention back onto Sakura as she gazed back into his eyes. Ryu saw pain in her eyes, and felt shame at seeing her in such a bad condition. For a few more seconds, both stared at one another with a sudden, hidden mind link, both of them seeing each other from the inside out for the first time ever. They saw the reasoning for each other's actions, their words, and thoughts. But before either of them could say anything, they were interrupted by the unpleasant sound of metal scratching metal.  
  
"What the-"  
  
Ryu turned around and saw Bison struggling to get to his feet while clutching Vega's claw in one hand. He turned his psychotic eyes onto both Ryu and Sakura, and allowed an insane grin to form on his face.  
  
"I'll do whatever I have to to make sure that neither of you see the outside of this place again!!" screamed Bison, a mad gleam in his eye. Suddenly, Bison threw the bloodied claw down at Ryu's feet and stood up tall. Ryu and Sakura watched in horror as Bison's body became engulfed in a dark aura.  
  
When the majority of the dark aura had cleared, Bison rose above the ground slightly, the psychotic grin still all over his face.  
  
"PSYCHO CRUSHER!!!!!"  
  
There was no time to react for Sakura and Ryu, who were right in the line of fire. Bison came flying at them at full speed, his entire body charged with his Psycho Powers.  
  
BAM.  
  
Bison landed on his feet after ramming into both Sakura and Ryu simultaneously. Ryu and Sakura hit the floor roughly, both dazed by the blast.  
  
"Mwahahahahaha!! Idiot! You thought that you could defeat me!? And you had the guts to call me weak! HA!!" snorted Bison.  
  
Ryu struggled to get up, but collapsed back against the floor. His muscles tensed, and he pushed himself up to where he could prop his weight on his elbows.  
  
"Shut up..." he hissed at Bison, who was getting on his last nerve. Ryu hoisted himself up to where he was able to crouch, and turned to Sakura, who was lying beside him, staring up at the ceiling. She seemed to be trying to will herself not to cry.  
  
"Ryu..."  
  
"Get up... now... We've got to do this... We've got to finish him..."  
  
"But-"  
  
"Come on!"  
  
Ryu grabbed Sakura by her arms and sat her up quickly but with gentleness.  
  
Bison guffawed as he watched the two struggle to their feet. All three of them were injured, and now it was even between both sides. Who was going to win?  
  
"So, Ryu, what are you going to do? Throw her at me?" Bison was going too far with his taunts.  
  
Bison's response from Ryu was nothing more than a sharp glare as he made sure that Sakura was able to stand. Ryu soon had an idea. Reaching down, Ryu picked up Vega's claw and held it up, thinking hard and quickly. Sakura raised her eyebrows, but soon understood what Ryu was thinking...  
  
CLANG!  
  
Bison jumped when he heard a loud sound right behind him. Turning to see what it was, he saw Vega's claw on the floor behind him. Ryu had thrown it to startle him!  
  
"Such a cheap trick, Ryu!" roared Bison, turning around only to meet a shoe to this face. "GYYAAAA!!!"  
  
Sakura landed down in a crouch after her attack, but sprang over to the side to allow Ryu to do his move.  
  
"Tatsumakisenpukyakuu!"  
  
The dazed Bison was caught in a tornado of kicks from Ryu, causing him to go into the line of one of Sakura's attacks.  
  
"Sho-o-ken!"  
  
Sakura charged at Bison, and rose with her variation of the Shoryuken. Her fist smashed against Bison's torso, then chin, and finally his face, sending him flying high into the air.  
  
Landing on her feet, Sakura nodded at Ryu who grinned back at her. Both of them stood side by side, charging their ki together for their final attack. As gravity began to bring Bison back home, Ryu and Sakura released their final attack.  
  
"HADOUKEN!!!"  
  
Sakura and Ryu's energy waves hit Bison right on, knocking him onto the wall and then down the floor. As Ryu watched and verified that Bison was OUT, he took a deep breath and turned to Sakura, who was struggling against hyperventilation.  
  
"Sakura... We... we did it..." Ryu said as he reached out to Sakura, his hand timidly touching her shoulder.  
  
Sakura looked up at Ryu, smiling happily. "Yeah, we did it..."  
  
Ryu inclined his head sideways a little bit, remembering what Sakura had said to him earlier...  
  
"Sakura, by the way... I want to thank you for helping me snap out of it... and forgive me for hurting you..."  
  
Sakura blushed a little, but shook it away. "There's no need to apologize... At least we're both alive, right?"  
  
A tingling sensation suddenly ran through Sakura's limbs as she felt both of Ryu's hands rest on her shoulders.  
  
"And one more thing... I want to tell you something I've held back a long time..." Ryu trailed off in his words as he watched Sakura raise her head and meet his eyes.  
  
"I didn't mean what I said back when you first asked me to train you... I realize that what I said hurt you..." he said, never shifting his intense gaze from her eyes.  
  
Sakura's heart sank as well as her hopes. Ryu didn't love her, and now he was trying to think up an easy way to let her down.  
  
"Ryu... you don't have to go the round-a-bout with me... I understand if you don't feel the same way..." Sakura murmured, trying to pry herself from under his grasp.  
  
"No, listen to me. Sakura... I can sometimes say really stupid things that I don't mean at all... But this time, I can say something that I really mean. Sakura, I have a confession that I need to address..."  
  
At that instant, Sakura felt her head being brought upward by Ryu's hand. Unexpectedly, Sakura saw Ryu's face move closer to hers until it was less than an inch from hers. He spoke to her in a whisper.  
  
"I love you, too... Sakura..."  
  
Time stood still as Ryu brought his lips down onto Sakura's. All the pain, all the suffering of the events before... it was gone. Sakura's eyes widened as tears threatened to take over, but they slowly closed as she resigned herself to reality: the dream that had now become real for her.  
  
One of Ryu's hands wrapped itself around Sakura's waist and the other behind her head. Sakura felt herself blushing madly until Ryu pulled away, his face slightly flushed as well.  
  
"Oh... I... I don't know what to say..." admitted Sakura, smiling at Ryu, before pulling him into a tight embrace.  
  
"You don't have to say a thing," he replied, smelling the sweet scent of her hair that he had somehow overlooked in the past. Who ever would have thought that the "World Warrior" would find love and express it so passionately?  
  
"If I were either of you, I'd have plenty to say... so go ahead and say... your last words!!"  
  
Sakura and Ryu turned towards the sound of the voice, still holding on to one another. Sakura brushed back her chestnut-colored hair and looked twice to see whether or not her mind was playing tricks on her.  
  
Vega was struggling to sit up, one arm pressed against his chest to pressure the bleeding and perhaps numb the pain, while his other arm was reaching to the hem of his pants, his fingers groping around for something.  
  
"Yes... prepare to die!! You will never get out of here alive!!" roared Vega as he pulled out a strange-looking remote control of some type.  
  
"What in the-" Sakura began to panic, until she heard Vega's voice again.  
  
"Adios!!" laughed Vega as his thumb pressed onto a bright red button on the remote, and flames engulfed the room completely.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Oh my god, what's gonna happen next!? Yet another cliffhanger... don't kill me... 


	9. Chapter 9

Eternal Spring  
  
AAH!! Everyone's deciding to get all over me about this thing now. Have mercy!!! I'll do better next time, I swear!! This is the final chapter!! ...ok, ok, I'll do an epilouge, too.  
  
CMK TacTican: ...Ouch. That first part was close to a flame. But I know you wouldn't flame me on purpose. What!? Why do you think Ryu is seriously OOC? I've gotten emails and reviews from some readers thanking me for not making him OOC. I'm trying to think of what I can say... This story is close to an end, this might be the last chapter, or there might be another one. I'm not sure. And as for the cliffhangers, I noticed that in my last story (Reconciliation), I was becoming very predicable, so I decided that I should leave people on edge and create more suspense. Some people love it, some people don't. As for Ryu, I understand that he acts different in the game, but you know, I believe in miracles. Maybe he changed. Love is a funny thing. It can change the way you act, and you never know when it will hit. I cried and cried and went crazy when I fell in love the first time. Perhaps Ryu is starting to warm up his hardened heart. You decide. But I highly appreciate your honesty. I'd rather get an honest review than one that is a fake lie. Thanks for reading my story, Stephen! **Also, about what you said about Ryu conquering his dark side in Alpha 3, you really had a point there. AAAHH I'm so stupid!!!** One more thing, I'm *not* eating until you UPDATE Colliding Worlds!! ^__^  
  
DeNice: All I can say is that Vega will... DIE DIE DIE!! *beats the @#$% out of Vega with a frying pan* Um... remember that time... uh... hey, didn't I already shoot him and kill him before...? What about what I did to him in Colliding Worlds...?  
  
Blue-Eyes Knight: Yes, another cliffhanger. Doncha just love me?? XD (Especially in Colliding Worlds ^__^)  
  
DJ Rodriguez: I'm so happy that you like my cliffhangers, I could just die. Yes, I am going to check out Yugi-SF soon, when I get away from my stupid school work and stuff. Every day for the next week or so, I have to stay a few hours after school to paint the set for the play; and I better get a free ticket. ;) But I get up early, so I'll try to get to it in the mornings. Thanks for saying such uplifting (and honest) comments. It's really motivating to have readers like you!  
  
Kikoken: O_O;; You're gonna hunt me down? AAHH!! Stalker! *hides* Here's an update, cliffie-free!  
  
Tornado: Yeah, the beginning of the chapter was really dramatic, wasn't it? Bison couldn't kill Ryu and Sakura since he was really weak and beat up, so that worked to his disadvantage, and finally, his fall. And you just gave me another idea! YAY!! *hugs* A great idea for the end... another dramatic scene. Thanks!!  
  
Neko: Cliffies!! That seems to be a big deal with everyone. **edges away from you, terrified** Put the mallet... down... I don't deserve to die!! I'm also glad to see that you were getting emotional during the romance scene. I was thinking about your reaction when I was writing it, and that made me fluff it up a little, but not too much. I bet you almost fainted, didn't you? ;)  
  
Miguel Gama: Another person who appreciates the beauty of cliffhangers! That makes me feel good to have people who like them. I enjoy leaving people on edge, as anyone can see. It's what makes me unique (and notorious) among other authors. So you don't think fight scenes are my weakness? I'm also kinda bad at humor... then again, I wrote something crazy that made DeNice and myself trip out completely... Oh well. I guess my writing could use some strength in all areas.  
  
Phantom 1: Really? A decade? That's a long time to not have played SF! I do enjoy leaving people on edge, see the above comment for Miguel. As for the title, when I chose it, I had an idea for some significance, but you'll see when it's nearer to the end. That's a good question! I'm surprised that someone asked.  
  
Nitro: See email.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter 9  
  
***  
  
"Yes... prepare to die!! You will never get out of here alive!!" roared Vega as he pulled out a strange-looking remote control of some type.  
  
"What in the-" Sakura began to panic, until she heard Vega's voice again.  
  
"Adios!!" laughed Vega as his thumb pressed onto a bright red button on the remote, and flames engulfed the room completely.  
  
***  
  
Sakura and Ryu's eyes both widened as all four walls around them slid open in sections, and fire shot out of each section instantly.  
  
Suddenly, alarms went off in every room, and red, flashing lights could be seen flickering above doorways. Screams were heard coming from random places, some near, and others far away. Through the intense, blurry smoke of the fire, running figures in dark clothing began to scramble towards exits, screaming commands wildly.  
  
Vega disappeared from Ryu and Sakura's view as flames surrounded his body, and they could hear him howling as he began to burn. A sudden gust of heat flew over to where Sakura and Ryu were standing, startling them. Embers struck Sakura's skirt and began to scorch holes in it. Sakura shrieked and tried desperately to put the flames out, but instead made them worse.  
  
"AAAHH!!!" she screamed as the flames began to singe her skirt even more. Acting on instinct, she began to grab her skirt and flap it around wildly, until Ryu grabbed her arm forcefully and grasped the burning spot on her skirt with his bare hand. He winced in pain as the fire suffocated in his hand, and he felt his fist burn painfully. Sakura's eyes widened at Ryu in disbelief at his sudden act of selflessness.  
  
The flames blew even stronger gusts of sparks over their way, and Ryu realized that if they didn't move quickly, they were going to burn to death or suffocate. Ryu grabbed Sakura with his uninjured hand, and began to run through the fire towards the exit doorway. As they reached it, Sakura stopped and refused to move like a stubborn mule.  
  
"Sakura!! What are you doing!? We've got to get out of here!!!" shouted Ryu, his dark eyes flaring with determination and courage.  
  
"The doorway is on fire!! We can't go through it!!" Sakura screamed hysterically over the roar of the fire burning the various chemicals on the table not too far away.  
  
Right after Sakura finished that comment, a loud cloud of dark purple smoke arose from the table with the burning chemicals. Both Ryu and Sakura stared in horror as the cloud of smoke began to circulate around the room. Ryu yanked on Sakura arm, pulling her close to him before grabbing her up into his strong arms.  
  
"If we don't burn, get crushed, or faint, we're going to be suffocated by that gas!! Sakura, there's no time to be afraid!!" he shouted over a loud crashing noise behind them, that signaled that the roof had already come crashing down in the room.  
  
Bolting through the doorway, Ryu continued to run down the metallic hallway, praying that the fire would not come after them. How wrong he was.  
  
Sakura and Ryu both heard a low, growling sound... and then felt a long, fiery-hot breeze hit them from behind. Grabbing onto Ryu's shoulders as he nearly dropped her, Sakura looked behind them and saw a large burst of flame rushing down the hallway at them.  
  
"RYU!!! RUN!!!"  
  
Ryu began to turn his head to see what lay behind, until Sakura forced herself out of his arms and landed on her feet. She grabbed his arm, and yanked him forward.  
  
"Ryu!! Nigehashiru!!" Sakura screamed to get her point across.  
  
Sakura and Ryu began running towards the end of the hallway. They reached the end, and it led them into a central room. It was overly large, and had panicking security guards shouting orders to each other as they all ran frantically into an underground trapdoor.  
  
Ryu's keen eyes saw a large door, swung wide open, that had had a flashing light above it. Above the light, there was a sign that read EMERGENCY EXIT #6.  
  
"Sakura... Over there!!" He pointed his finger over to the door, and the two made a mad dash for it, luckily not being seen by any of the crazed guards.  
  
Ryu and Sakura skidded into the doorway that led them into a large room they had never seen before. There was absolutely nothing in the room other than a doorway on the other side. Glancing off to the side of the room as she ran, Sakura saw a small human figure sitting in the corner of the room.  
  
"Ryu, stop!" demanded Sakura as she skidded to a halt. Squinting her eyes, she saw that it was indeed a person sitting on the floor. The person had a feminine build, and long, golden-blonde hair that shone even in the darkness, and was wearing a swinsuit-like uniform. She was sitting in a position, her knees drawn up to her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs.  
  
The girl also grabbed Ryu's attention, and he began to walk over that way. Sakura followed him, her mind searching itself for a reasoning on why a girl would be sitting in here calmly while this base caught fire, room by room.  
  
"...Hello...?" Sakura asked cautiously, barely above a whisper.  
  
Cammy jerked up her blonde head and fixed her intensely jungle-green eyes on Sakura, then Ryu. Her eyes blinked in surprise, and she paused before she spoke.  
  
"What are you doing in here?" Cammy whispered, her voice soft and fragile.  
  
"Cammy... There's no time to chat. This place is going to burn to the ground in a little while!! We've got to get out!!" Ryu said quickly, hearing an rumbling explosion coming from a room not far away. The sounds of dying screams rang throughout the entire base, making Sakura suddenly feel sick on her stomach.  
  
"I must stay here..." Cammy said firmly. "My entire life is devoted into service for Bison."  
  
Sakura looked at Ryu and blinked slowly. He furrowed his brow, trying to think of a good excuse that would persuade Cammy to get out of the building.  
  
"Cammy... Bison is dead," Sakura said slowly, seeing Cammy's eyes widen. Something seemed to click with her, and Cammy quickly rose to her feet as swiftly as a gazelle.  
  
"What!? No... it can't be..." Cammy's eyes searched Sakura's for the trace of a lie. Being experience with liars all her life, Cammy could tell a lie from a truth easily. However, Sakura's eyes remained truthful, even though deep inside, she was doubting herself.  
  
Another resounding cracking noise caught the three's attention. A rush of fire was approaching the doorway, and all three tensed their muscles.  
  
"It's true; Cammy, let's go!! You know the way out!" Ryu yelled as he began to rush towards the doorway, the two women following behind him.  
  
Suddenly, several soft, sliding noises sounded in perfect harmony with one another, and caught the attention of Ryu, Cammy and Sakura. Like the room they had just come out of, this one had the hidden fire combustors. Within seconds, fire was released from several areas of the room.  
  
"Shit!!"  
  
Ryu swore under his breath before running along with Cammy and Sakura towards the door before them. It seemed so distant, but in real life it was only a few meters away.  
  
CRACK.  
  
Sakura stopped dead in her tracks when she heard a loud snapping sound right above her head. Looking up quickly, she saw that, to her horror, the ceiling had cracked and splintered right above her head. She screamed as the ignited roof began to fall downward, and she tried to run, but found that she could not move her legs. Sakura stood there, petrified with fear as the roof began to cave in right above where she was standing.  
  
Meanwhile, Ryu and Cammy had continued to run, but stopped when they could not hear Sakura's footsteps behind them over the roar of the raging fire. Quickly, Ryu turned around only to see Sakura standing still, gaping up at the ceiling, a look of terror on her face. His dark brown eyes quickly turned to the ceiling, and saw it coming down quickly on where she was standing. His eyebrows contracted in concentration, and he darted over to where she was standing at top speed.  
  
"Sakura!!!" Cammy and Ryu yelled in unison.  
  
SMASH!  
  
The ignited wood of the room came crashing down against the floor, causing the fire to go wild. The embers and sparks in the roof then became full- fledged flames that began to encircle where the roof had fallen, and spread around in every direction.  
  
A small, short coughing sound was heard a few feet from the raging fire, and Sakura moved herself away from the fire in fear that her already frayed hair would catch fire. Quinting her eyes against the dangerous flying sparks and heat from the fire, she looked around frantically for Ryu.  
  
"Ryu?"  
  
Sakura looked to her right, and saw nothing but fire crackling along the floor. Then, she looked to her left, and saw a large figure lying motionlessly on the floor, Cammy hovering near it.  
  
"RYU!!!"  
  
Quickly, she scurried over to him, tears pricking at her hazel-colored eyes. His eyes were closed and several areas of his white gi scorched by the flames, but other than that did not seem otherwise physically injured. Sakura brought her face close to Ryu's and rested it on the side of his head, trying to listen over the low growling of the fire and the sounds of wood crackling and burning.  
  
A slow, soft, but steady pulse was heard coming from Ryu, signaling that he was still alive. Sakura could also hear him breathing, which was a good sign. For a few seconds, she gazed down at him in a mixture of love, fear, and relief, until she was startled by another crashing sound. Another section of the roof had come down a few feet away from them.  
  
"My god... we've got to get out of here..." whispered Sakura as she used all the strength she could muster to hoist Ryu up onto his feet and allow him to lean on her. Cammy took Ryu's other side, and the two women were able to stand Ryu up between them.  
  
Using their willpower and raw strength alone, Cammy and Sakura began to hurry over to the exiting doorway. Being mindful of the flammable sparks and ashes on the floor, they ran quickly yet carefully, dragging Ryu along with them. The doorway began to appear larger and larger until it was only a few meters away from them.  
  
Suddenly, a large flame flickered and swept across the floor in front of the doorway, igniting the frame of the doorway. Cammy Sakura's eyes widened in horror as the wooden door frame began to crack and give, peices of it falling to the floor as ashes and sparks.  
  
A sudden burst of courage presented itself to Cammy as she stood there, bringing boldness also onto Sakura's half. Both felt the willpower to move flow throughout their minds and bodies, and they braced herself for their daring move.  
  
("Ryu... hold on...")  
  
Sakura gripped Ryu tightly, and made a lunge at the doorway at the same time with Cammy, thowing both herself, Cammy, and Ryu through the blazes of the fire and the burning doorway. Her eyes were clamped closed as she felt the pain of burns set in on her, and even more pain as she felt herself hit something hard and rocky.  
  
With another loud roar, the fire completely consumed the room and all of the rooms around it, and Bison's entire base was swallowed up in flames. Sakura laid on the ground alongside Ryu and Cammy, completely dazed from what had happened. All she knew was that she had made it out of the base alive, and Ryu was with her. She opened her eyes, quickly grabbed Ryu, and rolled away from the base as sparks shot downward on the place where they had previously been laying.  
  
Cammy darted to her feet as Ryu and Sakura took five more complete rolls before coming a safe distance from the fire-engulfed base. Sakura released Ryu from her grip, and laid on the ground beside him, breathing heavily and gazing up at the blood-red sky. The sun was setting, leaving wispy gray clouds with a slight orange tint to float across the sky slowly.  
  
Slowly, Sakura found the strength to sit up and prop herself up on her elbows. For a while, all she could do was stare at Bison's base going up in flames.  
  
"I can't believe that we made it out of there alive... It's no less than a miracle..." she pondered out loud to Cammy, until her thoughs were cut off by the familiar sound of coughing. Sakura quickly turned over to face Ryu, and sat up once she realized that it was him coughing.  
  
"Ryu, are you all right?"  
  
Sakura grabbed Ryu and sat him up gently, holding him as he continued to cough. Slowly, Ryu began to settle down and glance over at Cammy, who walked over and crouched beside Ryu, her green eyes showing the emotion of relief.  
  
("She seems so... different... than she used to be...") Ryu thought as Cammy rose to her feet once more, and turned to stare at the burning base.  
  
"Bison's 49th base... Location: Tokyo, Japan... Cause of destruction... Smoldered to the ground..." Cammy's once metallic, sharp voice seemed softer as she smiled at the burning of another of Bison's bases.  
  
For several more minutes, the only noise that could be heard was that of the fire raging throughout the building and that of the occasional screaming security guard catching on fire. But after a while, a soft, distant chopping noise could be heard from far away.  
  
Ryu slowly got to his feet with the assistance of Sakura, who wrapped her arms around him to support him when he stood. All three of them looked up into the sky and saw a pale light flashing quickly as the noise began to grow louder. The wind began to swirl quickly, and the familiar sound of a helicopter quickly made its way to their ears.  
  
After a moment, the helicoper came about 20 yards away from where Ryu, Sakura, and Cammy were standing, and prepared for a landing. The sharp blades of the helicopter began to slowly decrease speed, and eventually stopped. Out of the doors hopped a few familiar faces...  
  
"Chun Li?"  
  
Cammy's bright green eyes widened in shock as her acquaintance from the past came up to her. Chun Li was a tall, well-built Chinese woman who was working for Interpol. Her dark brown hair was, as usual, tied up in two buns on either side of her head and secured with golden ribbons. Other than her, another other old friend had come to witness the destruction of Bison's base...  
  
Lt. Guile was also there, a tall American military man with a flat-top blonde haircut and intelligent-eyes made him look quite the character. He was dressed in a dark green tank and baggy military pants, as opposed to Chun Li's traditional Chinese dress and boots.  
  
"It's great to see you again," grunted Guile in his rough voice, shaking hands with Ryu, then Cammy, then Sakura. His hard gaze then went over to the fire that was slowly destroying the base and everything in it.  
  
"Cammy, what in the hell has happened here?" demanded Chun Li, in her rapid- fire voice. She whipped out a camera and took several pictures of the base, making use of it as evidence of yet another fall of Shadowlaw.  
  
Cammy blinked her eyes and looked down at the ground. She was silent for a while, but then spoke softly.  
  
"It's all over now. He's gone..."  
  
Chun Li paused for a moment, and Guile started to say something. Seeing the look on Cammy's face, Guile quieted himself as they all waited for an addition. Seeing as there was none, the six turned to watch the building burn.  
  
("Bison... this is justice for taking away my best friend... Charlie...") pondered Guile silently. His clenched fists that were hanging on either side of his waist slowly softened their grip, and unclenched themselves. This would be the last time that Bison murdered innocent people.  
  
("Father finally has his peace... Burn, Bison. Burn...") Chun Li also settled her case with Bison, as a feeling of comfort spread throughout her. She leaned softly onto Guile's shoulder as the last tears she would ever shed for her father were released.  
  
("He will oppress no one any more...") Cammy released the breath that she had been holding, as she slowly sank to the ground on her knees. The life with Bison was all she had ever known past her blurred childhood, and now that era of pain and torture was finally at a close. Time for a new take on life...  
  
For Ryu and Sakura, neither of them thought about Bison as they gazed at the fire burning before them. Instead, they were looking at one another, in a way that they never had before. Never before had they noticed the other in such a way that they could connect love for an emotion between them.  
  
Gently, Ryu brought his burnt hand up to Sakura's face, and he began to stroke it softly with the back of his hand. Their eye contact never broke, even when they could sense the others' gaze fix upon them. Sakura wrapped her arms around Ryu's waist, and tilted her face upward.  
  
His hand moved slowly and softly over the frame of her face, and he saw how radiant her face seemed in the midst of everything surrounding them. Thoughts of her floated throughout his mind, and he wondered why he had not discovered this softer side of his heart earlier. Somehow, Sakura had found a way to open him up a little, and to bring the warmth of love into his life.  
  
As Ryu's hand reached the hairline on her forehead, he stared deeply into her chocolate brown eyes before bringing his lips down upon hers lightly. Both of their eyes closed, and everything surrounding them seemed so far away and unimportant. Even if the world had come crashing down around them, it would not have been enough to break their kiss.  
  
Chun Li, Guile, and Cammy all watched them in silence as the smoke behind them billowed gracefully upwards into the sky. Even in the darkening sky, nothing could destroy the beauty of true love set before the three. The gentle breezes of spring began to blow slightly, and seemingly circled around Sakura and Ryu, causing their headbands to swirl around them as they held one another close in a timeless symbolism of their love. It was time for a new life, beginning in the midst of an eternal spring.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
I'm currently crying too hard to say anything other than that I hope you liked this story!! Please, please, please!! Drop me a review. There will be an epilogue, so don't give up hope! Thank you so much for reading my story, I whole-heartedly appreciate it. No flames, please! 


	10. Epilouge

**Eternal Spring**

**CMK TacTican:**  I can never please you, can I?!  I'm going to strangle you!!  ^^;;  Haha, I'm just messing with you, as you do with me.  Last time you wanted more characters, so I added a few characters, now what?  _Futei!!  _Well, the reason that I had to introduce Cammy was because she was the only means of them escaping Bison's base.  Ryu and Sakura didn't know how to get out of the base by themselves.  Cammy knows her way around.  So, Ryu gets hurt, and Sakura is frightened and has no idea about how to get out.  If Cammy hadn't shown up, Sakura would have gotten lost and the building would have collapsed, and then she and Ryu would be... dead.  *shudders*  And about Hayato... well... It's a possibility...  ;)

**DJ Rodriguez:**  Yippee!  I'm so happy that you liked Eternal Spring.  It's not over yet!  Here's the epilouge.  Enjoy!

**Squallwis04:**  I thought it needed a little more at the end too.  After all, we wanna know what happened to Ryu and Sakura after the destruction of Bison's base.  Also, I'm glad that you almost cried at the end, not because I'm an evil person, (lol) but because I cried too!!  *sniffle*  Thank you for your compliments throughout this story! R/S to the end, baby!

**Kikoken:**  You like the way I portrayed Ryu!!  AHH!!  *cries gallons of water*  ^^;;  Anyway, I've come out of my hidey hole... *crawls out and stores the grenades and guns she had with her elsewhere* ...and am now posting the epilouge!  Have fun reading!

**Tornado:**  The romance!!  The drama!!  :)  Thank you for thinking so highly of me; I really appreciate it, Kristopher.  I can always count on getting a positive review from you that makes my day.

**Nitro:**  Thanks for informing me about those little things I messed up on.  The running through the fire, I didn't know that.  All I knew was that if you got close enough to fire, you were gonna burn.  About Cammy, I know that she was like that, but you see how much I put emphasis on how her eyes looked in the last chapter.  Bison is dead (presumably) now, so I think that their connection should be broken. Also, I had to use her character to lead Ryu and Sakura out of there, since they didn't know the way.  Plus, I couldn't go into detail about her in the last chapter since I didn't want CMK TacTican getting all over me about that. And Guile: I don't love him.  I couldn't care less about his status, lol.  Besides, he was only here to keep Chun Li company. ;P

**Miguel Gama:**  Yay!  I so happy you like it.  Ryu and Sakura are my favorite couple, and always will be!  *waves fist in air*  Whoo-hoo!  ES is done now!  Yay!!  

**Edgar: **It was so dramatic, wasn't it?  :)  And of course they will live happily every after; you couldn't expect less from the romantic Chan Yoruyamatiha, could you? ;P

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Okay folks, this epilouge wasn't meant to be long, be sure to review though! ^_^ 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Epilouge**

**Two months later**

"Kasugano, Sakura..." Mr. Kanasaki's voice boomed out over the crowd that consisted of thousands and thousands of people attending the Tamagawa Seniors' Graduation Ceremony.  The spring's gentle winds blustered around the city of Tokyo, and everyone seemed to be having a great day.

Sakura heard her name called and walked up onto the stage that had been carefully set up outside.  As she walked towards the principal of the school who was holding out her diploma, she felt the eyes of everyone in the audience upon her.  Her hair had grown out slightly, and the ends were curved out from underneath her graduation cap elegantly.  Sakura walked with gentle grace as she approached Mr. Kanasaki and accepted her diploma, smiling at a wink from him.  

After shaking hands graciously with him, Sakura walked offstage, the heels of her shoes making soft tapping noises as she walked.  Both she and her friends were brimming with rapture as they saw their peers walk one by one up, accepting their diplomas.  In the audience, people were whispering and giggling together as several graduation hats flew off of their owners' heads and were swept away in the breeze.

Several hours later, every student had recieved their diploma and were standing in lines of fifty-five.  On the count of three, every single student who was graduating Tamagawa threw their hats in the air, and most of the hats were swept away with the wind and soared into the audience, who were madly going after the hats.  Sakura giggled lightly as every student took off towards where their respective family and friends were in the audience.  

Luckily, Sakura was able to catch her hat as it came back down upon one of her friends' heads, so she grabbed it and ran off into the audience towards her mother and little brother.  Sure enough, her mother and aggravating little brother were there, awaiting her arrival.  

Sakura's mother ran forward to embrace her daughter, who gladly accepted it.  Tears of glee streamed down her mother's face as she laughed mirthfully.  After that, Sakura's little brother (poutingly) also congratulated Sakura, Sakura simply smiled.  What could be better than this?

Suddenly, Sakura felt a gentle tap on her shoulder.  Turning around, she found herself face to face with Ryu, who was smiling at her, his eyes gentle under his hazel-brown bangs.  He was wearing a white dress suit and black slacks, a very unusual attire for a man like him.

"Oh, Ryu!!"

Sakura threw her arms around Ryu and buried her face in the soft, silky fabric of his shirt.  Mrs. Kasugano smiled before grabbing Sakura's little brother by the arm, as he had begun to make childish remarks about his older sister and her boyfriend.  

Ryu smiled down at Sakura, who kissed his cheek softly and appreciatively.  

"I'm glad that you could make it here, Ryu..." Sakura whispered, resting her arms around his neck while gazing deeply into his brown orbs.

Ryu laughed.

"Nothing would come first over this," he replied without hesitation as he interlocked their hands lovingly.  

*******

Five hours later, Sakura accompanied Ryu to his house, and her mother took her younger brother to Harajuku Bridge with a couple of his friends.  Sakura and Ryu sat in the back yard behind the dojo, eating light snacks and watching the koi in the koi pond.  The high sun in the sky caused the water to glitter brightly as the remaining fish swan around lazily, expecting food from Ryu since he was paying attention to them for once.

Sakura dipped her toes in the cool water of the pond, involuntarily jerking them back when Futotta came swimming up to her to investigate the new presence in his pond.  Ryu smiled lightly as he refilled his cup with flavorful green tea, watching Sakura in silence; she looked so happy.

"Ryu..." Sakura's voice sounded softly, catching Ryu's attention.

"Yes?"

"I'm really happy now that I'm with you..." she whispered, turning her dark eyes up to his.  She took her toes out of the water, and inched towards Ryu who simply waited for her next speaking.  Sakura took her hand in Ryu's and smiled lightly up at him in a shy manner.

"I used to dream of this is, and now my dream has come true...  I thank you," Sakura said, casting her eyes downward into the water.  She wanted to say something else, but could not think of the right way to word it. 

"There is no need to thank me.  It takes two to love, anyway," Ryu paused for a moment.  "And Sakura... thank you... for showing me what it is to love somebody."

Sakura immediately blushed upon hearing this comment, as she was not completely adjusted to hearing him say such things to her.  

Slowly, she turned her face up to look at him, her eyes meeting his passionate gaze.  It was the one he had in his eye when he was confronting something important to him, but this one was slightly different.  Ryu's gaze was more mild, and more caring and considerate.

"You... You're.... welcome..." stammered Sakura, melting under his strong stare.  

There was a long silence following that last comment, and Sakura meekly stole a glance at Ryu, who was drinking a long swig of green tea.  He placed the cup down, and wiped his mouth on the side of his arm carelessly, making Sakura smile.  Ryu turned to her, a smile playing upon his lips as well.  

Ryu wrapped his arms around Sakura and allowed her to lean into his chest as the sun bore down upon them and the koi pond.  The glittering of the koi pond seemed to hypnotize Sakura, and it left her feeling drowsy.  Since she was so comfortable in the arms of a trusted lover, Sakura closed her eyes and allowed the chirping of birds to be her lullaby.

SLASH!

A large splash of water hit Sakura and Ryu in the face, causing them to jump.  Sakura quickly jerked to the side, which sent herself toppling right into the koi pond.  

SPLASH!!!

It was a matter of seconds before Sakura came to the surface, gasping and panting for air.  The koi were scared out of their wits, each of them lurking down at the bottom of the pond near the edges.  Ryu burst out laughing, pointing at Sakura, who simply glared playfully.  

"AHAHAHAHA!!  That Futotta... always jumping out of the pond and...!"  

Ryu didn't exactly get a chance to finish his sentence.  Sakura grabbed Ryu by the waist and pulled him into the water with her.  With another loud SPASH!, Ryu also joined in on the "pool party" with Sakura and the disgruntled koi.  

Both Ryu and Sakura came to the surface of the water, both laughing hysterically while holding one another.  Ryu slicked back his hair with his hand, taking off his sodden headband and placing it on the edge of the lake.  Sakura did the same with her hair, before hoisting herself back up onto the stone side of the artificial lake.  She smiled down amusedly at Ryu, who she helped out of the water by pulling him upwards. 

  
Ryu quickly pulled his knees out of the pond, and soon found himself lying on his back on the ground, Sakura hovering over him with a smile.  

"Who's laughing _now?_" she asked, laughing in spite of herself.  Water dipped off of the two of them, but neither seemed to mind or be aware of it.  Sakura plucked an artifiial lily pad off of her pale Sunday dress that was clinging to her legs.

Ryu simply smiled at her, imagining how long that this happiness would last.  His mind couldn't seem to comprehend an end to it, and he decided not to dwell on it.  As Sakura smiled down at him, he realized that this would last a long, long, time.  It was indeed the beginning of a romantic, eternal spring.

~^~^~^~^~^~^~ **THE END** ~^~^~^~^~^~^~

Author's notes:  And Bison was never heard of again, for he was at the mercy of certain people...  *coughNekocough*  Sorry so short, it wasn't meant to be long.  Just a little extra to keep certain people from killing me.  ^_^  Don't worry, I'm going to write another R/S story sometime.  I will also be working on The Reconciliation soon, it's at the climax right now, and I STILL have writer's block on it!  -___-  As of now, I would like to thank several people, first of all the reviewers.  Had it not been for you all, I would have never finished this story.  You all kept me motivated to write it, even when I didn't feel like it.  I appreciate it, Kikoken, especially you.  I could always count on you to review every single chapter with helpful comments.  :)  Thanks, CMK TacTican, for being aggravating;  Trutenor, for inspiring, helping, and being there for me;  Neko, for providing me with that essential boost, and also for making me smile every time I read your review.  Tornado, for helping me.  DeNice, for caring;  Squallwis, for loving R/S so much;  and Jacob, for not giving a hoot about this story but caring for the author.  Extra thanks to everyone else who has read, even if you haven't reviewed or contacted me.  THANKS!!!

~Chan Yoruyamatiha


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